Reunion of Hearts
by Kasumi Hayashibara
Summary: It's been one year since the encounter on the train. Both lives have suddenly taken a turn for the worst; coping with loss and uncovering lingering emotions, Sasuke will not allow Naruto to leave him—not again. discontinued. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!
1. Prologue: Against the Rain

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IT'S HERE!! YOU REQUESTED, I DELIVERED!!

I must admit though, I was quite amazed by the number of responses I received. Some people bothered to send me a review to show their desires of making this sequel, while others simply put it on Story Alert.

I am really flattered by all of this, so I decided to go ahead and post this. But before anything, please be aware that this is my fanfiction so the pairings will be according to what I like. If you've read my profile, you'd know what I mean. In case you didn't, I'll give you a heads up now so that there'll still be time to back out.

To my readers viewing this fic for the first time, please also read my oneshot _**Simple Encounter**_ that is the prequel to this fic.

**Summary:** It's been a year since Sasuke and Naruto's encounter on the train, and both their lives have suddenly taken a turn for the worse. In the midst of this, the two meet again, but this time, Sasuke will NOT allow Naruto to walk away from him. Or will he? But what about their children, more importantly, Sakura?

**Pairings:** main—SasuNaru , side—NejiHina, ShikaIno, KakaIru (others yet to be decided), mentions of—SasuSaku, NaruOC, and probably KibaNaru, I haven't quite decided yet.

**Warnings:** Yaoi, lemon, OOC, some probable Sakura-bashing (I may like her canon, but it has to be done for the sake of the story)

**Disclaimer:** I am not gaining profit from this. Don't sue.

* * *

**REUNION OF HEARTS**

_PROLOGUE: AGAINST THE RAIN_

* * *

The rain poured heavily on his shoulders, mercilessly becoming heavier with each drop. The coldness and dampness seeped in through his clothes, but he didn't care. Mournful faces stood beside him, but none of them had given him any comfort.

"_Do you regret it?"_

Naruto stood there, eyes dazed and staring into oblivion—in utter silence. The pitter-patter of raindrops on umbrella tops echoed in his ears.

"_If given the chance to start over, would you?"_

A small smile crept on to his lips. "Come to think of it," he softly whispered against the wind—his voiced tainted with sorrow. "It was also raining when we met. At that time, I didn't imagine a life with you, but, somehow, we made it work." He choked on his words, his knees trembling and beginning to fail him.

"So why? Why did it have to end this way?" He grimaced as he felt something wet sting his eyes.

The rain? No, it was warm. And whatever it was, it began rolling down his cheeks. Were they... tears?

He's crying...?

No! He shouldn't cry! He swore he'd never cry again! He didn't cry when he was called 'worthless' by his fellow peers during his school days. He didn't cry when he found himself homeless, jobless and his life literally at rock bottom. He didn't cry when he discovered his former lover having an affair with someone he once thought as his friend.

So why? Why cry now? How can he be so weak?

"_Everyone is weak, Naruto."_

A voice in his memories answered. It was a cold voice, yet somehow also warm. It was belittling, yet it was also encouraging him.

"_If everyone was born strong, then there wouldn't be any struggles."_

A piercing gaze. A warm and tender smile. Soft and slender hands that had once touched and caressed his cheek, soothing every ache, every hurt in his body. His mind being filled with memories of the past; his heart breaking and shattering.

"_Don't say words you don't mean! What do you know about me?!"_

Will this flow of memories ever stop?

_"I'm sure the time will come wherein you'll both come to your senses and discover what is truly important."_

Stop.

_"Before anything can be fixed, it has to be broken first."_

Stop remembering!

_"Someday, Naruto, someday... I will give you that chance..."_

_"Why, you ask? Because I love you."_

_"I didn't know the real meaning of love, 'till I met you."_

Naruto grit his teeth, no longer able to hold back the immense sorrow washing over him. He crumpled down on his knees, not caring that his pants were being soiled with mud.

_"I love you."_

He ran his fingers through his hair, gripping the strands and pulling them tightly.

_"And someday... You will find it in yourself to say those words to him again."_

Naruto raised his head and let out an anguished cry that rivaled the rumbling of the heavens. Tears madly strolled down his cheeks like waterfalls—his mind and body completely broken.

"Ashes to ashes... Dust to dust..." the priest concluded, snapping his black book shut. The attendants watched on as the paulbearers lowered the casket into the earth.

Later on, the rain will pour harder. That's what the forecast said. Then, little by little, people will begin to leave, and he would be the only one remaining. His beautiful golden locks drizzled with rainwater. His clothes all drenched and sticking to his skin like glue. His blue eyes that were once filled with vibrant energy would be all red and puffy from crying.

Afterwards, there'll be nothing left of his beloved wife except for a marker with an epitaph reading:

_'Here lies UZUMAKI KYOKO, beloved wife and mother._

_The person who served as my candle in the dark._

_My comfort, my refuge – my strength.'_

Yes, he would stay there until the rain finally decides to stop.

* * *

And that is the prologue. What'd you think?

After careful consideration, I have decided to make Naruto's wife an OC so that I would have more liberty in writing in whatever whim I have. Ha ha!

Just to let you know, this piece takes place nine months after **Simple Encounter**. The next chapter (which is chapter one) will be a time skip set three months after the prologue, making it a year after **Simple Encounter**.

I hope you didn't find this all too confusing. Well, it is only the prologue after all.

See y'all at the next chapter!!

**Don't be shy. Click that small button at the lower left-hand corner. Drop a review and tell me what you seriously think.**

**P.S. No flames about the pairings. If any of it dissatisfy you, there's still time to back out.**


	2. Chapter 1: How it began

Chapter one has arrived!! The prologue didn't garner much attention, and that really got me down. Hopefully, this chapter somewhat redeems that.

**Plot Summary:** It's been a year since Sasuke and Naruto's encounter on the train, and both their lives have suddenly taken a turn for the worse. In the midst of this, the two meet again, but this time, Sasuke will NOT allow Naruto to walk away from him. Or will he? But what about their children, more importantly, Sakura?

**Pairings: **main—SasuNaru, side—KakaIru, ShikaIno, NejiHina. Also mentions SasuSaku, NaruOC, KibaNaru, others TBA

**Warnings:** Yaoi, lemon in later chapters, OOC, the story is rated M for a reason.

**Disclaimer: **Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I am not gaining profit from this.

* * *

**REUNION OF HEARTS**

_CHAPTER 1: HOW IT BEGAN..._

* * *

"Chichiue! Please hurry or you'll be late for work!"

"Coming!"

Naruto scampered about the room, hurriedly pulling on some pants while fiddling with the buttons of his shirt, WHILE struggling to fix his tie, WHILE searching for that other sock that he keeps losing every morning, WHILE... you get the picture.

Stupid alarm clock, not ringing on time. I have half a mind to replace the darn thing!

After a few thuds, muffled curses and banging of doors, Naruto entered the dining room looking rather presentable.

"Chichiue, your hair's a mess."

Well, _almost_ presentable.

"I'll fix it later," he scoffed, while taking a seat. "Hey, you made breakfast? I thought it was my turn today." A plate of bacon and eggs was immediately pushed into his view, along with his daughter's smug face.

"You woke up late, chichiue. Unlike you, I don't make a habit of being late."

"Ever punctual," Naruto mused. "And the way you speak to me, I swear you're more like your mother than you are me."

"And I'm thankful for that!"

"Kohane-chan..." Naruto's shoulders slumped. Before he could let out a sigh, a small hand ran through his blonde locks attempting to "tame" the wild mane.

"Don't work too hard, chichiue, but always do your best."

A small smile graced the elder blonde's lips. He lifted his hand to pat her on the head. "You as well, Kohane-chan." With that, Kohane quickly grabbed her school bag and left the room, leaving her father to his morning contemplation.

_Just what I need_, he mused. _A seven-year old daughter that doesn't act like a seven-year old_. "She may look like me, but there's no way she inherited my maturity." He turned his head to the side, gazing at the small picture frame that adorned the counter top.

"She most certainly gets it from you."

He took a couple of bites from his plate when he glanced at the clock. Noticing the time, he suddenly paled.

"Shit! I'm late!!"

--

_People walked past him, once or twice "accidentally" kicking his legs. He didn't care. Right now, he was seated by the gutter; back up against the wall, knees folded against his chest, and his entire frame absolutely soaked. Once in a while, a car would come zooming by, splashing murky water on his face. He'd gag and spit, but he didn't leave that spot. He didn't care._

_It had been a month since he, Uzumaki Naruto, had left his lover's home, moving as far away from him as he can. 'Heh, Three weeks and two days to be exact,' he mused. Honestly, he didn't have a plan when he left._

_He had nothing except for the clothes on his back and some money in his pockets, which was being slowly spent away. He had not spoken to any of his friends. No one knew where he was. He was currently homeless, jobless, and soon-to-be penniless._

'_Fate hates me,' he thought, burying his face in his crossed arms—still not getting up from his sitting position. Not caring of the cold rain showering down the crook of his neck._

'_Fate definitely hates me.'_

"_Hey," he heard a voice call out. It wasn't a voice he knew so he didn't budge. 'Probably some jerk wanting to make a rag out of me,' he thought. "Some manners you have, stupid dunce." A vein throbbed in Naruto's temple. That familiar name-calling... It may not be exactly the same thing, but it made him remember._

"_SHUT UP!!"_

_He bolted his head up, but quickly drew back upon seeing the figure before him._

_A woman..._

_But not just any woman..._

_Naruto gaped at her features. She had a beautiful face with an equally beautifully curved body to match it. Her long dark, ebony hair swept back and tied up in a braided ponytail. Her eyes were that of a midnight-hue, in contrast to his sky-blue ones._

'_An angel…?' he wondered._

_When was the last time he found a woman very... attractive?_

_Never._

_--Which led him to question his sexual orientation earlier on in life._

_Sure he was able to tell whether a woman was pretty or not, but to the point that it left him breathless? Never._

"_It's rude to stare," the woman spoke in a dry tone. "You do know that you're blocking the way, don't you dunce?"_

_Naruto frowned. 'Okay. So her face is the only good thing about her.'_

"_The sidewalk is meant for people to walk on, not to sit and contemplate the miseries of life. If you don't get up from there, people might think you're homeless."_

'_Thanks for stating the obvious...' he mentally snapped._

"_Listen, lady, I don't tell you were to go or where to sit."_

"_True, but you're in the way, stupid dunce."_

_The smirk that emerged on her face sent chills up Naruto's spine. It reminded him too much of someone else he knew._

"_Yeah?! Well you're... a stuck-up... business-prying... know-it-all!" he attempted an argument, stumbling for words. He got up on his feet to raise his challenge, but upon doing so, he realized—much to his dismay—that she was taller than him! Probably by an inch or so... but still!!_

"_Not only a dunce, but also a dwarf," the woman chuckled, amusement in her voice. Naruto, if anything, felt utterly embarrassed, humiliated, the list goes on. What did he do to this person? And to think, earlier on he was mentally admiring her beauty._

"_Stupid," he heard her mutter. "What's the point of being depressed over something?" Swiftly, she tossed her umbrella to him, which he noticed only now. Catching it in his hands, he shot her a confused look. _

_She grunted, pulling the neckline of her a coat a little higher. "Get out of the gutter. It doesn't suit you."_

_With these words, she walked away, her footsteps making splashing sounds on the wet pavement. Naruto watched her retreating back, wondering..._

_What is the meaning of this simple encounter?_

--

"Naruto? Yo, Naruto, dude, you okay?"

Naruto snapped out of his stupor and turned to find himself inches away from his friend's face...

...Thus leading to an ear-piercing scream that resounded throughout the entire department floor.

"Jeez, Naruto!" the brunette snapped. "What's with that scream? Is my face really that terrible?" "It wouldn't be if you decide to get rid of those ridiculous tattoos," the blonde retorted. "And it's your fault for always creeping up on me, Kiba!"

"I don't criticize you for those whiskers, don't criticize me for these tattoos."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. Honestly, who has both cheeks tattooed with giant red markings that keep on being proclaimed as "fangs"? Kiba obviously. But despite quarrels and appearances, Naruto had always considered Kiba as a good friend. Perhaps it's their compatible personalities that keep their friendship intact. Truthfully, Naruto owed the man a great deal!

With nowhere to go, Naruto had started living in the streets, doing odd jobs to get by. He was distributing flyers when the two of them suddenly met. Naruto, who had not been in contact with any of his friends, was certainly surprised and quite delighted to see him. Kiba, on the other hand, stared in surprise, balled his hand to a fist, reeled back and hit the small boy square on the jaw; eyes flaring with anger.

"You asshole!!" he shouted. "Do you have any idea how worried you made us?!"

Calming Kiba's anger proved to be a grueling task. But the boy soon proved to be Naruto's savior. He let the blonde lodge in with him for a while, lending him some much needed spare clothes, then helping him land a job at the same advertising agency he works in.

Of course, Naruto started out as an errand boy, slowly gaining respect and approval from his peers and superiors, until he officially became part of the production and design staff.

"So," Kiba's voice knocked him out of his thoughts—again. "How is Kohane-chan doing?"

"Hm? Great!" Naruto rummaged through some papers. "She's acting more and more like her mother each day. Really... like..." Naruto trailed off, sadness suddenly glazing over his features.

"Sorry," came his friend's apologetic voice. "You still haven't gotten over it, huh? It's been three months already..."

"I know, Kiba! Dammit, I know! But I can't... Kyoko-san was... she... she was special... And Kohane's growing up... like her..."

"Ah, so that means she has you whipped."

"KIBA!!" A blush crept up the blonde's cheeks. "This is my seven-year old daughter we're talking about! And are you implying that Kyoko-san has me whipped?"

Kiba snickered, winking an eye at him. "Naruto, we both know who really wears the pants in your relationships. I mean, you guys were married but you kept addressing her with a '—san'. Seriously, though, does that mean she also tops you?"

Naruto's face turned beet red and, if possible, steam was coming out of his ears. "Seriously?!" his friend's eyes widened with genuine amazement. Thus the countdown began.

5...

4...

3...

2...

"BWA-HA-HA-HA!!"

Kiba clutched his stomach tightly as he doubled back in agonizing laughter and hysteria. "I can't believe this! Naruto! You are such a girl!!" More laughs bellowed from his throat as he fell back on the floor, his hysterics resounding in the boy's ears.

Naruto sighed, tapping his fingers on his desk, waiting for the laughing boy to finish. "But you know what," the brunette gasped, wiping away some tears in his eyes. "I guess it's to be expected. Kyoko-san always had this aura that practically screamed 'dominance'."

"Thanks," the blonde replied dryly. "Now help me sort these documents out, will ya? The hold hag's been harping me over these!"

--

Crimson-painted nails tapped restlessly on the cool wooden surface of her desk. Her teeth grit against her lips, almost smudging her pink lipstick. The man sitting in front of her had his chin cupped with one hand, while the other playfully twirled with his long, white messy mane.

"It's not an easy decision," the man spoke. "But it has to be done, Tsunade."

"I know," came the woman's reply. "Everything's already settled. But how am I supposed to break this news to everyone?"

"Well, that's the difficulty of being the boss. You're always the bearer of news—good or bad, still news."

"Oh, shut up, Jiraiya! Some partner you are!" A heavy sigh escaped her lips. "Everyone's going to hate me after this."

"Any more than they already do?" Jiraiya immediately cringed at the death glare she shot him. "Okay, that's out of line. But anyway, it's business. We're doing our best to keep the business running. You know how it is, and they should too. Sometimes, we just need to cut our costs."

Tsunade buried her face in her hands. Despite the cool air from the air conditioner, the room still felt hot and stuffy.

"I suppose there really is no other choice..."

--

Long hours of office work were really tiring. Lunch breaks and coffee breaks weren't enough to re-vitalize him. Kiba took a glance at the clock. Four-thirty. Thirty more minutes and it'll be quitting time.

What the heck... Might as well...

"Hey Naruto," he called out. "Wanna get some decaf? Naruto?" When no response came, he peeked into the blonde's tiny office and found him fiddling with the calculator, a couple of receipts, and some other papers he didn't recognize. "Dude, whatcha doin'?"

Naruto glanced at him and replied, "Managing this month's salary. It might not last until next pay day, not with Kohane's school fees." "Ah," spoke his companion. "Tough, huh? Well why'd you send her to that school, anyways? It's like only for those rich guys."

"It's not for rich guys, it's for the educationally gifted," he retorted. "Kohane-chan was given a good recommendation, and passed all tests and requirements."

"Except the financial part."

Naruto sighed, massaging his temple. Konoha Prep was certainly a good school, but not for an average guy with an average salary. "Face it, pal," spoke Kiba. "Our pay just isn't enough, unless you manage to convince Tsunade-sama for a raise."

"You know I can't!" came the reply. "The agency's not doing too well and everybody's cutting costs. It would be too much to ask."

A loud knock brought their attention to the doorway where a girl with round Chinese buns stood. "Tenten?" they chorused. The girl motioned for the two of them to follow her. "Everyone's being called to the mess hall. Looks like Tsunade-sama has something very important to say."

The two glanced at one another with a worried expression on their faces. Their boss rarely assembles all her employees together. When she does, it usually is bad news.

The entire mess hall was in a buzz, eagerly anticipating their boss' announcement. As to be expected, they were all worried, fearing for the worst.

Finally, Tsunade emerged from the doorway, along with Jiraiya, and proceeded to the front where everyone could see her. She coughed loudly, clearing her throat, catching her peers' attention.

"Everyone," her voice echoed throughout the room. "I have a very important announcement to make. But before that, I would like to thank each and every one of you for all the services you've rendered to this agency. Without any of you, Godaime Advertising Agency would not have made it this far."

"You are all aware about the desperate budgeting this agency has been going through. We had to cut low on miscellaneous expenses, fall back on people's salaries, everything to keep this agency running, but now it is impossible to continue."

When this was spoken, many gasps and murmurs were heard. They all seemed to share a similar fate—unemployment.

"However," Tsunade's voice was firm. "I am also aware that you have all heard rumors about another corporation seeking to buy Godaime Agency. I'd like to inform you that these rumors are true."

More whispers were heard, but this time, it seemed louder.

"After careful deliberation, it was decided that this is the only way to save the agency. Precisely three weeks from now, Godaime Agency will no longer be an independent network. We will be integrated into another corporation, making _them_ our bosses."

People visibly flinched, Kiba and Naruto among them. The agency had practically been their second home and Tsunade was like an old hag of a mother. But now complete strangers were thrown in the mix.

"They will be the ones controlling us," Tsunade continued her speech. "Sadly, they have very high standards for the their employees so everyone will be subject to screening and interview again."

The entire crowd groaned.

"If none meet their standards, they'll just bring over people from their company. There's no telling how many of you will be left. But, on a good side, if you more than meet their expectations, there's a high possibility they'll have you work at their main office."

A flicker of hope gleamed in the employees' eyes, but all too soon faded upon hearing Tsunade's next statement.

"That is why, starting tomorrow, everyone will begin clearing their desks; take home any personal possession of yours, and begin preparing for the screening. I'd like to remind you all that it was an honor working with you, and I wish you all the best."

Naruto sunk his head in disbelief. This can't be happening! He felt Kiba tap his shoulder sympathetically. A groan escaped the blonde's lips. He was already having a hard time budgeting what little pay he has, and now he learns that he won't be having a job!

Could this day get any worse?

"Tsunade-sama," Tenten called out from the crowd. "What is the name of the corporation merging with us?"

For Naruto, the elder woman's lips seemed to move in slow motion as she pronounced the name of the company.

"Uchiha Business Corporation."

He was wrong.

His day definitely just got worst.

**To be continued...**

* * *

I'm sorry to those who were expecting to see Sasuke here. Hey, it's the first chapter. I've got to start somewhere, and I decided to introduce Naruto's daughter first! If you read my first fic, **Simple Encounter**, you'd know what I'm talking about.

Next chapter, we take a peek into Sasuke's life. Oh, and please review. Those reviews help me a lot! If I know you guys are interested, it makes me write even more. Please review. But no flames about the pairings, please!

Next week, my family and I are going to Boracay for our long-planned vacation. Afterwards, I have to begin job-hunting so I might not be able to write any new chapters or update any time soon. But, for the time being, I'll update as much chapters as I can and after that, I'll try to keep up a weekly update.

Bye for now!

_**--**_

_**OMAKE!**_

_"Kiba, are you sure about this?" a fidgeting blonde asked. "This suit isn't working for me. I just look weird."_

"_No, you don't," his friend replied. "Look, you said you need the income, and that you don't want to lodge in with me forever. Face it, Naruto, those odd jobs you do, do not give you that much needed income."_

"_And introducing me to your boss will help because--?"_

"_Duh! It's a job interview. We've been needing an errand boy now."_

"_Errand boy. That's what I am?"_

"_Oh, pshaw!" Kiba pulled open the door and shoved the whiskered boy in. Waving his hand, he mouthed the words "good luck" and closed the door._

_Upon entering the room, Naruto had only one thought processing through his mind. 'Kiba! How dare you leave me here!' He stared at the woman in front of him, her elbows on her desk, her palms cupping her chin. Beside her was a white-haired man with a weird grin on his face._

"_Well? Are you gonna take a seat or what?" the elder man's voice spoke. Naruto gulped and proceeded to the chair that was laid out for him._

_Meeting his future employer's eye, he studied her features. He took notice of her faded blonde hair swept in low pigtails, her luscious lips painted in a pink color. The red hue on her nails made him shudder a bit. But what really caught his eye was her... unbelievably large... um... assets._

"_When you're done gaping at my breasts, tell me so that we can start the interview."_

_Naruto immediately reeled back, a pink blush staining his cheeks. "Sorry, my bad." The woman raised her eyebrows. "All right," she spoke. "My name is Tsunade, and that stupid-looking man over there is Jiraiya—my partner."_

"_I don't look stupid!"_

"_I've read your resume," she continued, ignoring her partner's remarks. "Quite interesting really. Who knew you could be so versatile?" Naruto cringed a bit. "I guess we could use someone like you. A recommendation from Inuzuka-san certainly helps you. When can you begin?"_

_Naruto gaped at her for a moment before collecting himself. "You mean I'm hired—I mean, I can start anytime you want." Tsunade smirked. "Then you will begin first thing tomorrow."_

_A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Tsunade called for the person to enter, and in stepped an all-too-familiar figure to Naruto._

"_Here are the papers you wanted, Tsunade-sama."_

"_Ah, Kyoko. Thank you. Good timing, actually, I was about to call you."_

_Naruto kept eyeing this person. There's no doubt about it. A few weeks ago, in the rain... Yes, it's definitely this woman! So 'Kyoko' is her name?_

_Kyoko felt Naruto's gaze upon her and turned to look at him. "Anything I can help you with?" she asked, almost irritably. The blonde merely gaped. In the background, Jiraiya snickered. "What'd I tell you? Whatever new face Kyoko meets, the reaction is the same." Tsunade coughed loudly, causing the older man to straighten up._

"_Right, business," he spoke. "Kyoko, this kid here is Naruto. He's going to be your new yes-man." Tsunade coughed again. "That is, I mean, he's going to be your new assistant. So, show him around, teach him what he needs to know and, well, you know the drill."_

_Tsunade rolled her eyes. 'I could've made Orochimaru my partner. Did I? No... Instead, I settled for this dimwit.'_

_Naruto continued to gaze at Kyoko, completely oblivious to the mental argument his two bosses were having. Truth be told, he never expected to meet her again._

_She regarded him as well from top to bottom. A sigh escaped her lips, then spoke, "Fine, though I don't really agree to this. What's your name again?"_

"_N-Naruto!" Did he just stutter? "Uzumaki Naruto, ready to be trained and do as told. Believe it!"_

_The woman in front of him raised an eyebrow. "Right. I'm Sumeragi Kyoko." She extended her hand, which he took and shook, tiny jolts of electricity shooting through his fingers. He soon found himself blushing—a reflex he had no control of._

_Seeing this reaction, a grin formed on Kyoko's lips. Their hands still intertwined, she took a step closer to him, closing the distance, and leaning down to his level. Naruto squeaked at the sudden contact, feeling the heat coming from this nearby body. He could feel her warm breath against his ear as she spoke in a very alluring voice. _

"_Be prepared, Uzumaki-kun. I'm a woman that's very difficult to satisfy."_

_With that, she took a step back, returning the blonde's personal space. She walked past him, the strands of her hair flicking against Naruto's cheek. Naruto turned to follow her with his eyes. For some reason, his heart had skipped more than one beat during that exchange._

_And all throughout, neither of them noticed the amused look on their employers' faces._


	3. Chapter 2: Marital Problems

Back from Boracay and sporting a new tan! And as a souvenir to all my readers, here's the complete version of Chapter 2!

I must say though, that trip did a lot for my writer's block. Now I know how to progress with the story! Enjoy this latest installment and don't forget to review.

This chapter is also for **Alicia's power**, **Keacan The Weird**, **Inu-bitch**, and **temashika-kun**. You, guys are my avid readers who never fail to leave a review each time you drop by.

**Plot Summary:** It's been a year since Sasuke and Naruto's encounter on the train, and both their lives have suddenly taken a turn for the worse. In the midst of this, the two meet again, but this time, Sasuke will NOT allow Naruto to walk away from him. Or will he? But what about their children, more importantly, Sakura?

**Pairings: **main—SasuNaru, side—KakaIru, ShikaIno, NejiHina. Also mentions SasuSaku, NaruOC, KibaNaru, others TBA

**Warnings:** Yaoi, lemon in later chapters, OOC, language, possible spelling and grammar errors, the story is rated M for a reason.

**Disclaimer: **Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I am not gaining profit from this.

* * *

**REUNION OF HEARTS**

_CHAPTER 2: MARITAL PROBLEMS_

* * *

"_It's terrible!"_

"_Hurry! Call an ambulance!"_

"_That poor boy... So young..."_

"_Where are his parents?"_

_Sasuke couldn't believe his eyes. His knees were trembling but his feet remained glued to the spot. Everything had happened so fast. Was this even real?_

_No!_

_He forced his legs to move, his steps racing each passing moment._

_No!_

_He pushed his way through the crowd, desperate to get to that area. He could see the blood spatter all across the pavement, a car that had screeched to a halt—the driver talking frantically to the policeman. The sound of an ambulance siren reached his ears. But even though the sight was right there before his very eyes, he refused to acknowledge it._

_No!_

"_NARUTOOOOO!!"_

--

"Everything all right, sir?"

Sasuke turned to the blonde haired woman with pretty blue eyes. She was looking at him with a worried expression plastered all over her face.

"Ino," he spoke, as if being knocked out of his stupor. "No, it's nothing. Just thinking... So, what do I have scheduled for today?"

Ino skimmed through her small notebook, her fingers gently turning each page. Sasuke took note of the rather huge bulge on her tummy.

_A couple more months_, he thought. But he had to admit, the idea that his blonde-haired secretary finally becoming a mother was actually quite good._ Shikamaru's also been waiting for it._

"Uchiha-san," she spoke, freeing him from his thoughts. "You have some people from the Sand and Gravel Company coming over at ten to discuss that annex building for one of our sub-offices. After that, a lunch meeting with Hyuuga Neji-san, and then at two you're legal attorney will be stopping by to arrange the necessary papers and..."

Sasuke began massaging his temples—a sign of either annoyance or exhaustion. Ino took this as a sign and stopped speaking. Five years of working as the Uchiha's personal assistant has taught her many things about the man's habits and mood swings.

After a moment of silence, she asked, "Would you like me to cancel all your afternoon appointments then?"

"No, it's fine," the man interjected. "I'm pretty much free after the two o'clock appointment right?"

Ino looked a bit uneasy as she glanced back to her tiny notebook. "Actually," came the timid reply. "Your wife called. She said she would be stopping by at around three."

Sasuke groaned. _Great. Just great._

Sakura.

"Thank you, Ino," he said, masking his distress, but his secretary noticed it nonetheless. "That will be all. I'll call you again if I need anything."

Ino bowed her head and turned to take her leave. Just as she exited the room, she caught sight of a silver-haired man with his face hidden behind a bright orange book. He peeked an eye at her, to which, she gave a sigh and motioned her hand towards Sasuke's door; silently saying "the boss is in."

Only one thought popped in her head once she saw the man disappear behind her employer's door.

_It's gonna be a long day._

--

"So, how are we feeling today, Sasuke?" he asked with a playful grin.

A vein throbbed in Sasuke's temples. "Just fine until you walked in, Kakashi."

"Why Sasuke, I'm hurt!" said man raised his arms for dramatic effect. "After all these years of faithful service I've rendered to you and—"

"Shut it!"

Sasuke was in no mood to hear this man's babbles on how he's been working for the Uchiha family for many years or how loyal he's become to Sasuke. But in a way, he had to admit he _is_ undoubtedly the most faithful out of all the helpers and employees he's had. They've reached a certain level of respect to the point that Kakashi is the _only_ employee who could actually strike an argument with the Uchiha and not get fired, shot or killed.

"And? What do you want?" the raven snapped.

Kakashi gave a heavy sigh. _He was so much cuter when he was younger._ "I just dropped by to inform you that the preparations with Godaime Advertising Agency is just about done. Uchiha Business Corporation will be in full control in a couple of weeks, as stated in the memo you sent. All that's left is the matter concerning the employees."

"Tsunade and Jiraiya are to remain the Chief Managers of the place," Sasuke calmly stated. "They will oversee all projects and activities there. But whatever decision they make can only be AND may only be influenced by mine. As for the others, well we'll have to do it by process of elimination."

"Now that's just cruel, Sasuke," Kakashi spoke. "A lot of people are going to lose their jobs because of this."

"Not if they have the qualities Uchiha Corporation are looking for. Besides, it's our company's policy. I'll leave the screening and hiring process to you."

"Me?! Have you forgotten that they have at least one hundred fifty employees?"

"Then get Shino or Shikamaru to help, or if you prefer some of your other colleagues. Just have it all sorted out by the end of the day. Now, if there's nothing else, get out of my office."

"Actually, there is one more thing..."

The raven raised an eyebrow in question.

"How long will the kids be staying with me? I am seriously losing social life because of this."

Sasuke grunted. "Just keep them with you until this settlement is over."

"The divorce not going too well?"

"That's none of your business." A glare from the Uchiha caused Kakashi to take a few steps back. Definitely, if there's anything the Uchiha's are famous for, it's their icy cold glares that could kill even the most savage beast. "On top of that," he heard his boss continue. "I have to find a replacement for Ino. Shikamaru's been insisting on it."

"Well, it is their first child so they're a bit nervous about it," the older man reasoned. "Besides, being Uchiha Sasuke's personal assistant and secretary isn't exactly the easiest job in the world. It has too much pressure that a pregnant woman does not need."

Sasuke regarded his companion for a while before replying. "Point is, I don't think I can find a secretary that's as good as Ino. She's good at what she does, that's why I insisted on keeping her when my father gave me this position."

Kakashi knew that story very well. Sasuke was working at a lower department before with Ino, Shikamaru and a few others as part of his staff. But it was precisely six months ago that he got a call, saying he's suddenly being promoted.

The moment he took over, sales suddenly skyrocketed, business boomed, and the office was being more efficient than ever! As the new head of the main office, he was entitled to, according to his father, the most excellent assistant he's ever had.

For Sasuke, though, the woman had been anything BUT excellent. Sure, she was organized and attentive, but she was a freaking fangirl!

Every minute, every second of the day, she would find excuses to be in the raven's office, flirt with him, seduce him, make advances on him. In some cases, she went as far as strip right in front of him!

What was her name again?

Karin.

Yes, Karin. A fiery redhead with a weird hairstyle and thick rectangular glasses. She wore too revealing clothes to work that it was almost—well, slutty. Not to mention the perfume she wore reeked and was too strong to the nose.

'Yup, she was the only girl who could ask her boss if he wanted her to give him a blowjob, hand job—even oral sex—as casually as asking what the weather is today.

Sasuke took his complaint to his father, Fugaku, and practically demanded to let him handpick his own assistant. After much quarreling and debate, he was allowed to hire Ino, and moved his entire personal staff out of that small department, and gave them jobs at the main office.

Kakashi grinned. He thought he'd find it amusing if he brought it up. "You know, you could always re-hire Karin. I'm sure she'd—"

"NEVER!!" the Uchiha snapped even before he could finish.

Kakashi merely chuckled.

--

Naruto slumped back against the wall, sliding down to the floor; his head clouded with numerous thoughts. People had begun packing their things the other day. The air in the office had been tense and depressing.

All that negativity was enough to drive a man insane, which is why he high-tailed back home to wallow in his own self-depression.

_I can't do this!_

There were many things undone. A lot of bills have been left unpaid since the funeral, and more were piling up. There was also the matter of next week's groceries. Everything won't fit in the budget.

_If only I had a bigger source of income._

But where else could he go? Who would hire him on such short notice? Besides, it's not like he's getting fired. Who knows? He might have what Uchiha Business Corporation is looking for.

_Yeah, right._

The Uchiha Corps is very strict when it comes to its employment. Everyone there seemed so formal and... stuck-up.

_Have a stuck-up prick for a boss, have stuck-up pricks for employees._

He buried his face in his hands. Problems just kept piling up.

_I can't do this, Kyoko. I can't..._

A small sob escaped the blonde's lips. "Kyoko..." he softly murmured, as if his entire being depended on it. "Kyoko-san..."

"Chichiue?"

A small voice brought him back to reality. He lifted his head to find his daughter inches away from him, with a worried expression on her face.

"Kohane-chan," he gave a small smile. "You're home early. You didn't skip, did you?"

"Were you crying?"

That question knocked the wind out of Naruto. His eyes widened with amazement. "Were you crying, chichiue?" Kohane gently cupped her father's face in her small hands, making sure to look at him in the eye.

Naruto shook his head and brought his arms to embrace the young girl. "No, I'm okay, Kohane. Really, I am." Her cheek pressed against his chest, allowing her to hear the rapid change of his heartbeat. Only one thought appeared in the little girl's mind.

_Chichiue, please don't cry anymore._

--

"This is troublesome!"

A tall man with pineapple shaped hair and a frustrated look on his face shouted with his arms flailed up in the hair. "Don't tell me Sasuke expects us to sort this all out by ourselves in just one day!"

"Okay, I won't tell you," said his companion.

Shikamaru felt a vein throb in his head. "Thanks for the sarcasm. But you know, we could cover more ground if you would actually help, Kakashi!"

The elder man scoffed. "I am helping."

"No, you're reading that damn book again."

"We agreed to divide the load, didn't we?"

"Yeah."

"And we did. You work, I supervise."

Shikamaru slapped his forehead with his hand. He was going to have a migraine. It's bad enough he had to handle a very pregnant wife, nag his boss to lessen his wife's workload, but his colleague's antics were making it worse!

"Just kidding, Shikamaru," Kakashi flashed his playful grin. "I really finished my half. See?"

He pointed to a mountain-load of papers, earning a dumbfounded gaze from the younger man. "But how..." he trailed off. "Ah, never mind. It' too troublesome."

Shikamaru returned to shuffling papers, browsing through bio-data's, arranging it in proper order, and keeping an eye open for a promising find. "This is taking forever," he grumbled, ignoring the giggles from his colleague. "They all seem to have the qualifications. Can't we just keep them?"

"Standard procedure, Nara. Standard procedure."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, mumbling another "troublesome". He skimmed through the papers; one caught his eyes making him smirk in amusement.

"Well, waddya know," he chuckled. "Inuzuka Kiba. Who would've known he landed a job in Godaime Advertising? We went to the same high school. Remained friends all the way to college. Been ten years since we last saw each other..."

"I know," came the reply. "But that's not the only amusing thing."

Kakashi tossed a sheet of paper to Shikamaru, the latter raising his brows quizzically. Upon looking at the contents, his eyes widened, his mouth hung open.

"Naruto?"

--

For what seemed like the hundredth time that day, Sasuke was deep in thought. He had just finished with his lawyer. There, on his desk, were the copies of the divorce papers he's supposed to be reviewing. Divorce is a big thing. He needed to consider the repercussions.

_Should I..._

The door of his office creaked open and closed softly. Sasuke turned to see who entered, and quickly rose from his seat.

"Sasuke-kun!"

A blur of pink hair obscured his vision as he was suddenly caught in a fierce embrace. "Sakura, what—" he tried to speak, but was cut off by lips crashing on his own. A moment or two passed before he finally returned the kiss, bringing out his tongue to mix with hers. When they finally broke off, they were in much need of air.

"Ino told me you were coming. You shouldn't be here."

"You weren't complaining a while ago," Sakura cut off. "Listen, Sasuke-kun. I've been thinking. This divorce is a bad idea. I mean, we've been married for ten years; we have three kids! We can't just call it off."

Sasuke gave a heavy sigh. He slowly pried the young woman's arms away from him and set a distance between them. "We have four kids, Sakura. _Four_."

Sakura, at first, seemed surprised at his statement, then a frown began to mar her features. "Wrong, Sasuke-kun. We _had_ four kids. HAD! Now, it's just three."

It was Sasuke's turn to frown. "And what's wrong in acknowledging a fourth child? He was your son too."

"Yes, he_ was_ my son. And I loved him until the moment you decided to give him that name!"

"You have something against a name?"

"Yes, if it happens to be your ex's name!"

"Sakura, we've been through this! My giving that name to our son had nothing to do with Naruto!"

"Oh, so that name randomly popped in your head?! Gods, you expect me to believe that?! You are such a liar! I have half a mind to take the kids me!"

"NO, YOU WON'T!!" the raven yelled at the top of his lungs. "You are not taking my children away from me!! I am not giving them to someone who refuses to acknowledge her fourth child!"

"Well, I am not giving them to someone who won't love them!"

"Love them? You think I don't love them?!"

"Oh, c'mon, Sasuke! You're only their father in name and when you choose to be! What do you know about them, anyway? What do they know about you? Nothing!"

Sasuke suddenly fell silent, listening to his wife's words. Truth be told, what she was saying was possibly true.

"Satoshi excels because he wants to impress you. Yuki tries hard to get to know you, really she does. And Kaname hates you for always prioritizing your work over them. You lack time with them and they are hating you for this. Do you understand, Sasuke? They hate you. Our children hate you!!"

"ENOUGH!!" bellowed the angry Uchiha. "Get out, you bitch! Get out right now!!"

Sasuke's voice hollered like thunder—loud and unrelenting. It made Sakura shiver, but, clenching her fists, she quickly regained her composure. The door immediately snapped open to reveal Ino—worried and scared—along with a few others who share the blonde's sentiments.

"Uchiha-san?" she squeaked.

Sakura glanced back and forth between them. Gritting her teeth, she spoke in a low voice so that only Sasuke could hear her.

"Don't forget, Sasuke-kun. You were married to this bitch, and you still are until this settlement is over."

She spat those words and stomped out of the room, leaving behind a trail of confused faces. Sasuke's features became darker and turned to the gathered crowd. Giving them his infamous glare, he yelled in an angry voice, "Well? You're all not getting paid to just stand around and gossip. Get back to work!!"

Not wanting to anger their boss any further, the people gradually shuffled and returned to their usual work.

When the crowd dispersed, Sasuke was about to go back to work himself, but Ino's figure remained glued on the spot.

"Sasuke-kun," she spoke.

"It's nothing," he interrupted. "Just the usual. Marital problems."

* * *

**To be continued...**

* * *

And that's chapter 2. Now, it's off to chapter 3!!

Some people were a bit confused (and shocked) at the first segment with "Naruto" and the ambulance. Well that "Naruto" isn't Naruto. It's Sasuke's son. Just to refresh your memory, in **Simple Encounter** it's stated that Sasuke has four children, with his youngest named after Naruto. Also, if you read it again, in that fic, Kohane's age was just five—making her six in this timeline. But in this fic, I changed it so she'd be seven. Sorry for the confusion.

With the things revealed in this chapter, I'm sure you guys have somewhat of a picture of what's going to happen, huh? Anyway, please review and seriously tell me what you think. A simple "please update soon" isn't gonna do. Tell me you love it, you hate it, anything besides just those three words.

Next chapter: Will Sasuke and Naruto finally meet? Plus, we get to see Sasuke's kids.

P.S. I've also posted a HikaGo fic. Don't worry, it won't get in the way of my updating **Reunion of Hearts**. It's entitled **Belong**, and it's something I've written about 2 years ago but kept it stashed away somewhere. So technically, _that_ is my first fanfic. Do please give the time to read it and review. Thanks!

--

_**OMAKE!**_

_Naruto ran as fast as he could—as fast as his legs could go—until the sound of the train rolling away faded in the background. He stopped right outside the train station, leaning down trying to catch his breath._

'_What was that?!'_

_He mentally cursed. Going on errands for his boss had been a normal thing. Even though he now technically has a desk job, Tsunade and Jiraiya still sometimes treat him as an errand boy, but that he knew was out of endearment. It was also normal for him to be sent in certain areas of town to retrieve peculiar items, ranging from freshly bottled sake to newly published Icha Icha Porn (something he was embarrassed to do). But what he didn't expect was to meet his ex on the train and to sit right next to him!_

_What the hell was Sasuke doing there anyway?! Doesn't he have like maybe a dozen stretch limos to take him wherever he wants? Why take the subway?_

_Naruto heaved, taking a deep breath to calm him down. He should've been over him by now. Yet, he couldn't stop his heart from racing._

_He was happy with his life. Really, he is. But meeting Sasuke again had ignited all these emotions inside him that he thought he had let go a long time ago. It was particularly difficult to keep a carefree smile in front of the Uchiha when the man was practically devouring him with those eyes!_

'_Stupid teme. Ya' think after nine years I'd have learned.'_

_Everything was going fine. He managed to act normal, even though he was primarily shocked at seeing Sasuke looking so—haggard. Somehow, the term "haggard" didn't fit with the Uchiha. He didn't let anything slip, until said raven decided to touch him on the cheek._

_The cheek!_

_It took every possible restraint he had to refrain from blushing! Sasuke's hand was so warm. And the way he smiled, it was like high school again when it was just a simple crush._

_Shaking himself out of his stupor, Naruto slapped himself on the cheeks. 'Get a grip on reality, Uzumaki! The man is married and so are you!' He hailed for a taxi, and gave it instructions to his residence, since it was still quite a distance away._

_The truth is, he lied when he said he had to get off at that station. When Sasuke touched him, it made something in him burst with need. Need for what? The scent of the Uchiha still clouded his senses. If he had stayed any longer on that train with him, he would've done something they would both come to regret. He was quite thankful that the train came to a halt. He didn't care if he had to waste some more money on cab fare. He needed to get away from that man._

_The taxi pulled up at a tall apartment building. After paying the fare, he went up to the fifth floor and began to fish for the keys in his pockets. Once the door opened, he wasn't surprised to see the entire room pitch black._

_The apartment was quite big, good enough for three people to live in. The living room was just the right size; the kitchen and dining area were connected. Across the hallway were four adjacent rooms: the masters' bedroom, office, bathroom and guestroom, although they converted the guestroom into a children's room._

'_It is quite late,' he mused. 'They must be asleep'._

_He turned on the lights and was surprised to see someone sprawled on the couch, even more so when the person stirred awake._

"_Welcome home," came the sleepy greeting. "You're back late. Jiraiya-sama work you hard?"_

"_Yeah, and for what?" he replied. "Just to get this stupid limited edition porn magazine."_

"_Hm. Well, make sure Kohane doesn't see it."_

_Naruto bent down so that he was on eye-level with the lying figure on the couch. "If you're going to sleep, sleep in the bed," he said. "The couch is hardly an appropriate sleeping area for a pregnant woman, Kyoko."_

"_If you didn't come home late, I wouldn't be sleeping here. Besides, who's gonna heat your dinner? I made your favorite—aside from ramen!" (Naruto slumped)_

"_I could heat it myself, dear. I mean, I'm very good in the kitchen now, thanks to you."_

"_Naruto," she cut him off. "Your wife is offering to serve you, which is something she rarely does. Just accept it."_

_Naruto smiled and leaned forward to kiss her on the lips. He laced his hand around hers, allowing their rings to clink upon contact. "Something wrong?" Kyoko asked as soon as they broke off. "I met him," came the reply._

"_Who?"_

"_My ex."_

"_Uchiha Sasuke?" A moment of silence. "And? What happened?"_

"_Nothing. I just... Sorry."_

"_Why are you apologizing? You didn't make-out with him in some dirty public toilet, did you?"_

"_NO!" the blonde retorted. "I'm your husband! There's no way I'd do that!"_

"_I know. And I also know you have lingering feelings for that man."_

"_What? No way!"_

"_Naruto! Please... I love you. If I didn't, I wouldn't have married you. But what about you? Do you regret it?"_

_Naruto looked dumbfounded at his wife's query. Regret what? Breaking up with Sasuke? Marrying her? That's ridiculous! Why would he regret that?_

"_If given the chance to start over, would you?"_

"_Kyoko," he interjected. "I love you. That has not and will not change. I am right where I want to be." He placed his palm on the bulge on her belly. "Soon, we'll have another one. We need to get a bigger place."_

_Kyoko let a smile grace her features, placing her hands on top of her husband's. "Yeah."_

_Even if it's not forever... Just for a moment... Please let everything be perfect._


	4. Chapter 3: Another Simple Encounter

Chapter 3 is up!! What a pain… My computer crashed and those files are lost forever… I had to rewrite now and, quite frankly, I liked the original better. But unfortunately, it seems my muse has decided to take a break, and I practically struggled just to get this one out. Well, I hope it somehow lives to your interest.

Oh, in case you're wondering, the _**OMAKE!**_ last chapter was supposed to be the second chapter of **Simple Encounter**—the Naruto POV I had mentioned before. That's just in case you're wondering…

**Plot Summary:** It's been a year since Sasuke and Naruto's encounter on the train, and both their lives have suddenly taken a turn for the worse. In the midst of this, the two meet again, but this time, Sasuke will NOT allow Naruto to walk away from him. Or will he? But what about their children, more importantly, Sakura?

**Pairings: **main—SasuNaru, side—KakaIru, ShikaIno, NejiHina. Also mentions SasuSaku, NaruOC, KibaNaru, others TBA

**Warnings:** Yaoi, lemon, OOC, language, possible spelling and grammar errors, the story is rated M for a reason.

**Disclaimer: **Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I am not gaining profit from this.

**REUNION OF HEARTS**

_Chapter 3: Another Simple Encounter_

* * *

"_Nn… ugh… Sasuke…"_

_Naruto panted and gasped for air. His lungs felt heavy and bursting with need for oxygen. His arms were tangled above his head, while his sweat-slicked body stained the sheets beneath him. "No more…" he panted, but the warm body hovering him seemed less than intent to abide by those wishes._

"_Not yet," came the husky reply. Lips descended on his—almost gentle—then slowly traveled downwards his beautifully marked and adorned body. "Sasuke, stop it…" Naruto squirmed. "I can't take it anymore." The older man smirked. "Are you asking me to take you, koi? My, you're eager."_

_Naruto huffed. Twenty minutes gone on foreplay alone? He was surprised the Uchiha was still able to restrain himself despite the rock-hard erection he was sporting. "You want me in you, Naru-chan?" Hot breath was blown into his ear. The blonde shivered. He turned his eyes away, a faint blush staining his cheeks, and meekly nodded. This shyness was often evoked by the raven's unusual gentleness that he displayed only during these moments of intimacy._

"_Beg for it," Sasuke persisted._

_Naruto fidgeted under the raven's touch, wanting for more. "Please Sasuke," he indulged. He was too far-gone now. He just wanted that delicious rod inside him. "Take me. Just take me. Take me now!!" Sasuke chuckled at his lover's eagerness. Positioning himself at his entrance, he prodded for a while before fully plunging himself into the blonde's tight heat._

Naruto awoke layered with sweat and his body trembling. The loud beeping of the alarm clock rung in his ears, his eyes stared up at the pure white ceiling.

_Shit._

He cursed as he began to feel the bulge in his pants, struggling for freedom. This had never happened before. Well… Not in a long time. With a jolt, he kicked away the blankets and trudged to the bathroom, quickly discarding his garments. The moment he turned on the shower, hot water sprayed over him and scathed his skin. He quickly began to adjust the knobs, opting for the cold water instead.

It was like ice upon his heated skin. A cold shower was always a good remedy for these things. But the memory of that wet dream had made it difficult for his problem to go away—even with the cold water. Weighing his options, Naruto finally gave in and palmed his aching member, massaging it from the base to the tip. He hissed at the friction caused by his wet fingers, and began to pump faster, thrusting his hip against his own hand.

"Ah… Guh… Argh… Stu… pid… dre… am…"

He huffed; cold water trickling down his back. A wet dream about Sasuke and jerking off in the bathroom wasn't usually how he started his mornings. True he had, in the past, dreamt about Sasuke, but the contents were far from intimate. He'd always dream about Sasuke's benevolent cheating and Sakura's smug face as if saying "I win". But when he got together with Kyoko, the dreams stopped altogether. But here is now, taking a cold shower and pleasuring himself. "I must be going insane," he said to himself, and finally reached his release.

--

The smell of toast and eggs made Naruto's stomach grumble. He peered into the kitchen while doing his tie, and was greeted by his daughter clad in her little pink apron. "Morning, chichiue," she chirped. He smiled at her and greeted, "Morning, Kohane-chan. Eggs again? Didn't we have it the other day?" "No, we had it last week. Eating eggs every day increases your cholesterol." Naruto blinked. She was learning big words everyday.

"We could always have ramen," he spoke.

"Absolutely not!" came the reply. "It's breakfast! And it's important to eat a healthy breakfast to store enough energy to start the day! Ramen is not healthy. Not in a million years!"

Naruto blinked again. Did his wife's spirit decide to come back from the dead and possess their little girl? He sighed and, instead, bit into a piece of toast.

"Chichiue," Kohane asked with genuine concern in her eyes. "Are you in pain or anything?"

"No, why?" he muffled. Could she also sense the contents of his heart?

"Because you were making weird sounds in the bathroom."

Naruto choked, feeling a huge lump of—well, something—get stuck in his throat. He reached for his glass of orange juice and downed it in one huge gulp, only to realize that what he had grabbed was actually his coffee. The hot liquid burned his tongue and scorched his throat. He coughed loudly at the pain, but at least he got rid of the lump.

"Is that so?" came the playful voice of a man he knew well. "That means our li'l Naru-chan was masturbating."

The blonde man bolted from his seat at the sight of the silver-haired man waving at him at the doorway. "Kakashi! Why…" before he could finish, Kohane's little voice spoke out. "Uncle Kakashi, what's 'masturbating' mean?" Naruto almost fainted.

"Well, you see," Kakashi spoke. "Masturbating applies to big boys who release their pent-up frustrations."

"Frustrations? Over what?"

"Sex-depravation."

"THAT'S IT!!" Naruto bellowed, recovering from his earlier shock. "Kakashi, stop corrupting my child! I think she's learned enough words for one day!"

"Come now, Naruto. Kohane's a big girl. Don't you think it's about time she learns these things?"

"She's _seven_!! And what are you doing here anyway, Kakashi?"

The man coughed and softly patted Kohane's head, running his fingers through her pigtails. "Um… Kohane-chan," he said. "Iruka's already outside waiting to take you to school now." "Iruka?" Naruto cut in. "Why didn't he come in?" Kakashi didn't reply, instead, he ushered for the little girl to leave them. Taking the hint, Kohane did as told and left the two elder men alone.

"All right," Naruto spoke. "Why were you so intent in Kohane leaving us? And how'd you get in?"

"With the spare key you gave Iruka."

"And how did you…"

"We live together, you know."

"Right. What _are_ you doing here, Kakashi?"

"Naruto," the mood suddenly changed to that of seriousness. "You do realize that Sasuke already knows where you are." "I don't care," he replied. "Besides, we met a year ago and it went rather well. So I don't see the reason for you to get so serious about it." Kakashi raised his eyebrow. "Last year, both of you were still married to your own precious wives. But now, you're a widower and he's about to get divorced."

"What are you getting at?"

"I know that there's still some lingering feelings between you two, and don't try deny it. Trust me, I know."

"No, you don't. Sasuke and I are over. So what if he gets divorced? It's not like he'll suddenly ask me to marry him."

"Naruto," the elder man sighed. "I kept my promise. I never—not in these ten years you've been gone—once mentioned to anyone, most especially to Sasuke, where you were. I didn't tell him where you worked, what you've been doing. I didn't even tell him about you getting married and having a kid! But you can't run away forever."

"Who's running away?" His voice nearly faltered.

"You've been running from him since you discovered his affair. Even when you married Kyoko-san you were still running away."

"What? Excuse me for just a second Kakashi, but I thought—for a moment—that you were insinuating I married Kyoko-san in the rebound."

"Did you?"

"OUT!" the blonde snapped. "This conversation is over! Get out, please! I loved Kyoko, okay? So don't ever insinuate again!"

Silence reigned between them. Finally, the elder man gave a slight bow and spoke, "Sorry for being out of line. Truth is, you're one of the employees being absorbed into the main office. I just wanted you to hear it from me first." With that, he took his leave.

Naruto was left alone again in that apartment. The words earlier spoken were still ringing in his ears. "Absorbed into the main office, huh?" He couldn't deny that the pay in the main office would be much higher than his current one, depending on what position he'd get. He so needed the money, but…

_Sasuke's there._

He shook his head. So what? Sasuke maybe the big boss of the place, but with the size and number of employees working there, he'd doubt if they'd actually every meet! Naruto glanced at the picture on the counter. It was one of the rare solo pictures he had of Kyoko taken after their wedding. A small smile graced his features.

_I'm being stupid_, he thought.

There really is no reason for him to keep avoiding Sasuke, no reason at all. They've both moved on with their lives, haven't they? They've even got kids—families of their own to feed. And yet, Kakashi's words haunted him.

"_There's still some lingering feelings between you two."_

--

Konoha Prep was considered the most elite school in the entire country. It offered to educate children, starting from Pre-school and all the way to the University level—provided the child meets all necessary standards and requirements. Although the school is dedicated to providing education to the most promising children, it has become known to be the school for the rich and famous due to the amount of wealthy families enrolling their children into the place.

In this school where money talks, a child from an average family is tremendously uncommon, and is usually the object of constant bullying—as such is the case of one Uzumaki Kohane.

Kohane quivered as she was surrounded by older boys—and some girls as well. She clutched her bag tightly, but didn't allow her fear to be evident on her face. _This is normal_, she thought. Ever since she began schooling here, this has been a normal occurrence. But the grins on their faces informed her otherwise.

"Well, look here. It's little miss common," said one.

"Yeah. She's the only one who got into this place via recommendation," spoke another. "Did your parents bribe some poor chap to do that?"

"Bribe them?" sneered one. "With what?"

"Dunno." They laughed.

Kohane's grip tightened, turning her knuckles white. Her small shoulders trembled, but not from fear—from anger. "My parents are honest people," she spoke out—building up her courage. "They're good people who are probably better than yours who only rely on money for everything!" "Why you—!" one boy hollered and grabbed her by the collar, causing her to choke. "Pretty tough for someone so short!" He reeled his fist back, ready to punch her, when a small pebble shot out of nowhere, hitting him sharply at the back of his hand. He hissed in pain and released the choking girl.

"Who did that?!"

Kohane crumpled on the ground, gasping for air and re-adjusting the neckline of her uniform. She glanced upward and saw the boy who had grabbed her, trembling and slowly inching away. "Se-Senpai…" he stuttered. The crowd dispersed and Kohane caught sight of a boy, roughly a few years older than her, with jet-black hair and deep ebony eyes. He had pale skin and a stern expression on his face. He was juggling a few small stones his hand, indicating that he's the one who threw the pebble.

"Kaname-sama!" some of the girls squealed. Said boy shot them a death-like glare. "All right! Break it up!" a voice from the crowd chirped. "Come on, people! Give way!" The voice came closer and soon, Kohane was looking up at bright emerald eyes. "You okay?" the person asked. The young girl blinked. Judging by the uniform, this person is definitely female. But what's with the hairstyle? It was cut short, barely even reaching the neckline, almost resembling that of a boy's. But what really caught her eye was its color—a very bright shade of pink!

_Is that even a natural color?_

"You okay?" the girl asked again. Kohane, obviously shaken from her thoughts, lowered her eyes and meekly said, "Y-Yes." The pink-haired girl's face lit up with a smile. And the next thing Kohane knew, she was caught in a fierce embrace—her cheek being rubbed against the elder girl's. "You're so cute! Really cute! I want a little sister like you!" she squealed, ignoring the protests of her peers. "Yuki-sama!"

"Ah, Yuki," another boy approached. He looked like Yuki—bearing the same skin-tone and bright emerald eyes. They were of the same height and looked strikingly the same, save for the length and color of his hair that was the same as Kaname's, only it flowed softly from the back of his head and pooling in the gap between his shoulders and neck. "You're suffocating her," he continued. "And niisan," he turned to Kaname. "Please stop glaring like that. You're scaring everyone." Kaname regarded his younger sibling, grunted then dropped the pebbles from his hand. "Whatever."

The sound of a teacher's voice shocked everyone out of their stupor. She knew that voice. "Iruka-sensei!" Kohane called. "Eh?" Yuki muttered, releasing the girl from her grasp. "You know Iruka-sensei?" "What's going on here?" said man approached them. "Kohane-chan, Yuki-chan, Satoshi-kun, Kaname-kun, what's going on?" Satoshi, Kohane assumed, was the boy who had called Kaname "nissan".

"It's her fault!" one girl pointed at her. "She bumped into Tadashi-kun (the boy who bullied Kohane) and didn't apologize. She was being rude and Kaname-sama came to reprimand her." Iruka regarded Kohane, hoping to get an answer from her, but only received silence. He did, however, take notice of the redness of her neck—earlier caused by the friction of her collar when Tadashi grabbed her.

"Whatever the reason may be, it does not justify the use of violence in school, especially for Elementary students." His voice was stiff and stern. "Kohane-chan, Kaname-kun, I expect you to be in the Principal's office after school. Your parents will be immediately informed and will be joining you this afternoon." Everyone gaped. "Great," Kaname grunted. "I get the fall for what some stupid idiot did." He glared at Tadashi who was trembling, clearly about to pee in his pants at any given time. "Sensei, I…" he spoke, but was cut by the teacher's voice. "Well? Lunch break is over. Get to class now or you'll all have detention!" With that, he left.

"It sucks to be you, niisan," Yuki said. "He said he'd call our parents. You think otousan will come?" "If he does," Satoshi added. "Niisan's really going to be in big trouble." Kaname, this time, directed his glare to his two siblings. "Shut it. Who cares about that guy anyway?" He stomped off, soon followed by the other two (Yuki glanced back to give Kohane a wink) leaving a bewildered Kohane behind.

--

"_Sasuke, when you get married, how many kids do you want?" Naruto asked, snuggling against the taller man's chest. The man stroke the golden locks, playfully toying with it in his fingers. "None at all," he replied. "What?" the blonde retorted. "You can't possibly not have kids!"_

"_Do I look like a family-man?"_

"_Not now, but you will. So, how many?"_

_Sasuke frowned. He didn't like this topic. "Why are you so interested? Don't tell me you hit your head and figured out a way to make men pregnant." "What?" Naruto choked. "Men get pregnant? That's silly. Where'd you get that idea?" Sasuke's frown deepened. He definitely didn't like where this conversation was going. "You started it."_

"_I only asked how many kids you want. It's a simple question."_

"_No, you asked how many kids I want __when__ I get married. So what does that indicate?"_

_Naruto fidgeted with the fabric of his sweater, twirling it in between he fingers. "Nothing." "Naruto," came his lover's authoritative tone. "You have precisely five seconds to tell me what you're thinking." Naruto gulped. He didn't like it when Sasuke counted. It led to a lot of things. Usually hours and hours of long punishment-sex—meaning handcuffs, silk blindfolds and lots of strawberries with cream, and probably a whip if Sasuke's in the mood._

"_All right, all right!" the blonde gave in. "I was thinking of, you know, you getting married, having kids. So I thought…" Sasuke scowled. "And who do you want me to get married to, dobe?" "It was hypothetically speaking, teme." "Okay," Naruto could hear the ice in his lover's voice. "Hypothetically speaking, why would I be married and with kids?"_

_Naruto breathed a heavy sigh. "I'm just saying… You are the second son of a great family. I'm sure your parents expect a great deal from you. Don't you think they'd dislike it if they found their son to be… gay?"_

"_Since when were my parents a problem?"_

"_I don't know. Maybe they'd want you to settle with a sweet girl and have lots of babies to carry on the family name. That's when I thought what it'd be like to be a father, so I asked how many kids you'd have."_

_It was Sasuke's turn to sigh. "Stupid dobe. I won't leave you for a girl, even if my parents told me to. And as for your question, I wouldn't mind having four kids with you."_

"_Eh? With me?" Naruto questioned. Sasuke flashed him a gentle smile and a peck on the forehead. "Yes, you. There are ways of having children other than getting pregnant, you know. There's surrogacy and adoption." Naruto's eyes widened at the suggestion, until he relaxed and settled back into his lover's arms. "That'd be nice," he said. "But they say it's a different feeling from when you actually father your own child."_

_Sasuke tensed for a moment, trying ease his muscles. Neither said a word after that. It became Sasuke's fear that perhaps… it was Naruto who wanted to have children more._

"—ke… Sasuke… Oi, Uchiha…"

"Hm? You were saying, Neji?"

The long-haired man approached his side with concern. "You spaced out. What on earth were you thinking?" Sasuke tapped his fingers together before looking at his companion and answering, "Neji, how many kids do you want?" "Pardon?" the pale-eyed man blinked. Noticing the seriousness Sasuke placed in the query, he sighed and said, "Well, I'm not sure. I mean, Hokuto is already two years old and we're quite happy with her, so I don't really know… Wait, why are we even talking about that?" Sasuke shrugged. "Just something that came to mind. What were we discussing earlier?" "Well, we _were _talking about that joint project our companies are doing, but since you're in a mood for an interesting conversation, care to enlighten me about Godaime Advertising?"

"That's interesting?" The Uchiha scowled. "It's not uncommon for Uchiha Corporations to take over some other minor companies."

"What I had in mind were its employees. Particularly, a certain blond-haired and blue-eyed employee." Sasuke's eyebrows knit together. "You talked to Shikamaru, didn't you?" Neji hummed a tune that he could only consider as a "yes".

It had been one week since Shikamaru inquired about Naruto to him. When he was met with a blank stare, the man explained that they had found Naruto in the employee roster of Godaime Advertising. As Sasuke recalled, when he spoke with the blonde a year ago, he did say he was into advertising. But to be in the same agency his company happened to have bought out? Wasn't that a convenient turn of events. But there was one other thing that irked the raven. According to Shikamaru, he and Kakashi had discovered Naruto three days prior. He had merely assumed that Kakashi would've informed the Uchiha immediately so he didn't bother reporting it. But Sasuke had heard of no such thing—especially not from the silver-haired man.

Why didn't Kakashi tell him?

_Could he have…?_

Sasuke shrugged off whatever thought he was going to conjure. Instead, he returned his attention to the man currently sitting with him in his office. "So?" he simply stated. "What about Naruto?" Neji raised an eyebrow. "Well, for one thing, you've been obsessing over the boy for the past ten years."

"I'm not obsessing."

"Sure. And those days you drowned yourself in alcohol was because you suspected your wife was cheating on you." Sarcasm was evident in his voice. "Especially a year ago when you, more than ever, frequented the bars and kept moping coz you found out that Naruto's married."

Sasuke stiffened. "Fine. Point taken." Neji chuckled. He just loved winning against the Uchiha. It was like overcoming an amazing feat. He turned his eyes to the array of papers on the man's desk. "What are these?" he asked, picking up one. "Bio-data's? Are these the employees you'll be transferring to the main office?" "They're still up for interview, though," came the reply. Neji skimmed through each one and wasn't surprised, albeit smug, when he saw the profile of Uzumaki Naruto.

Sasuke's intercom beeped, indicating a call from his secretary. "What is it, Ino?" the raven asked. Ino's voice soon reached his ears. "A call from Konoha Prep just arrived. They said that your son started some ruckus in school, and his parents are being asked to come over." Sasuke frowned. "Uchiha-san, should I have Kakashi go instead?" "No," he responded. "I'll go. It's about time I took them home anyway. Kakashi's been complaining about it."

A "yes, sir" was heard before the intercom was switched off. "Aren't you and Sakura still battling for custody?" the Hyuuga inquired. "And she's losing," came the response. "I have the court on my side." _Starting fights at school?_ He thought. _Suddenly in the rebellious stage… or it's just the divorce._ "Sasuke," once again, the Hyuuga succeeded in claiming his attention. "What is it, Neji?"

"It says here that Naruto's wife passed away more than six months ago."

--

Kohane fidgeted on her seat, trying her best to ignore the stern glare she was receiving from Iruka. "Is that true?" he asked. "Are what Yuki and Satoshi saying true?" Beside him were the said children smiling gently at Kohane. She gave a meek nod and said, "Yes, it's true. Senpai was only helping me from another bully, but people misunderstood so…" "No need to cover up for him, Kohane-chan!" chirped Yuki. "Tadashi is a real low-life. We're in the same class, and he brags about how Kaname-niisan is nothing. But look at that. He couldn't even stand up to him this morning."

"Yuki!" Iruka snapped. "That is no way for a lady to speak!"

"Sorry."

"However," the man returned his sight to the two seated students. "Your parents are still coming over." Kohane visibly flinched, which did not go unnoticed by the boy seated beside her—his eyes narrowing. "Kohane-chan," Iruka knelt down to her level and patted her on the head. "You don't need to be strong all the time. You're a lot like your chichiue in some ways. Now, if you excuse me, I've got some papers to be done. I'll be right back." He lifted himself up and left the children in the waiting room.

Satoshi scanned the room, whistling long and loud. "What a waiting room!" he exclaimed. "Do all students wait here before entering the Principal's office, huh niisan?" "Why are you asking me that?" came the irritated reply. Satoshi shrugged. "Coz you're in here all the time?" Kaname scowled.

"Say, you're name's Kohane, right?" Yuki inquired, leaning her face towards the little girl's. "That's a very cute name. My name's Yuki. Over there's Satoshi and the sour puss beside you is Kaname. They're my brothers. Do you have siblings, Kohane-chan?"

Kohane blushed at the girl's closeness. She shook her head in reply. "You're doing it again, Yuki," said Satoshi. "Stop scaring her. Kohane-san, please excuse my twin sister." "Twin?" she squeaked. Satoshi nodded. "Yup, though I'm older by fifteen minutes. But I have to agree with her. You are very cute. You take after your mother?" She shook her head again. "My daddy." Satoshi beamed. "So I guess he also has blonde hair and blue eyes like you?" She nodded again. "You're very shy, aren't you?"

"Stop it," came a cool voice.

Kaname regarded his younger siblings with an annoyed look on his face. "She's uncomfortable, can't you see?" The twins looked puzzled at their niisan. Since when did he stand up for anyone besides them? "Niisan," spoke Yuki. "Do you like her?" Kaname sputtered. "You shouldn't nissan," the girl continued. "You're a fourth grader. And Kohane-chan looks like she's only in first grade. That's a crime!" "Yuki!" Satoshi reprimanded. "Don't you know? When it comes to love, age doesn't matter!"

"Will the both of you just stop it!!" a fuming Kaname bellowed. The twins giggled at their brother's response, but got the hint and stopped talking. They did always consider teasing their precious niisan as the best past-time of all. "You…" Kaname spoke to Kohane, although he wasn't looking at her. "You don't like your father?" The girl shook in surprise. She faced the elder boy, a puzzled expression plastered on her face.

"Why wouldn't I like chichiue?"

"Because, earlier you… plus, what Iruka said."

"Oh, that. It's… It's not like that at all." She grabbed the pleats of her skirt. "Chichiue… I like him a lot. Because he's all I have…"

"Kohane-chan!!"

The door to the room burst open and in stepped a flushed and panting blonde. "Chichiue!" Kohane yelped. And she soon found herself trapped in the elder man's strong yet gentle embrace. "Kohane-chan," Naruto spoke. "I came here right away. What happened? Are you hurt? Who did it?" "Chichiue!" the girl stopped him from rambling. "I'm fine. No need to worry. Truth is, it was all a misunderstanding. Senpai here was just helping me." "Helping you?" he raised an eyebrow in suspicion. But the gleam in his daughter's eye showed him that she was, in fact, telling the truth.

"Wow, they really look alike…" Yuki whispered. "Blonde hair, blue eyes…"

Naruto, now growing aware of the other children in the room, released his daughter and turned to greet them, but froze upon sight. He blinked, rubbed his eyes just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. He could've sworn he saw two miniature versions of Sasuke and Sakura (although the hair was much shorter), and one combination of the two.

"Nice to meet you," greeted one. "My name's Satoshi and these are my siblings. Kaname-nissan and my younger twin, Yuki."

Naruto gaped. How was he supposed to react? "Um… Hi," he said. "My name's Uzumaki Naruto. You can call me 'Naruto' if you like." Kaname grunted and turned his attention away. A habit that Naruto seemed to recognize and recall all too well. "And, uh, I didn't catch your names."

"Dobe," the eldest of the three grunted. A vein popped somewhere. "You're Kaname, right?" the blond said. The raven-haired boy visibly flinched. His eyes widened for a moment. No one had addressed him by his name alone, except for his relatives and Kakashi. It was such an informal way of speaking to him—something he wasn't used to in the presence of strangers.

"That's _Uchiha_ Kaname!" he snapped. "Right? And I'm sure you know what the name _Uchiha_ implies!"

"Nissan!" the twins chorused, obviously not in favor of their brother's sudden change of mood.

Naruto paled—sweat trickling his brow. Uchiha. It could be any Uchiha, right? Not necessarily _him_. Probably a distant third cousin twice removed, or something. "You…" he almost stammered. "You're not Sasuke's, are you?" The three now looked at him, genuinely surprised that anyone would call the leader of a powerful business corporation so familiarly. "You know our otousan?" one of them asked. And that's all he needed to know.

_Great_. He ran his hand through his hair and let out an exasperated sigh. "Kohane-chan," he said, taking hold of her hand. "We're going." "Eh?" the girl perked in surprise. "But the Principal…" "You didn't do anything wrong, so I see no reason to stay," he stated and made his way to the door. Just as he was about to leave, a man clad in a navy blue suit entered the room. His heart nearly stopped.

"Sasuke…"

The man froze in his tracks, black eyes widened in amazement. Sasuke was dumbfounded.

What was he doing here?

"Naruto…?"

To be continued…

* * *

Cliffhanger!!

To be honest, I'm not totally fond of this chapter. It seemed to drag and not much action happened. Alas, the original is gone, and I had to rewrite. I'm not too happy how these events turned out—seems my muse has decided to take a break. And once again I'm in a slump.

Next chapter: A date so soon? Wait, it's not considered a date if the family is with you, right?

Please review!

--

_**OMAKE!**_

_Clear white walls._

_The strong smell of antiseptic._

_Those were the things she remembered most about hospitals._

_She hated it._

_Kohane clutched her father's hand tightly. The towering height of the tables, devices and people in white coats scared her. She didn't like this place. They stopped at a door with a number that read 303. A turn on the knob and a slight push later, the door swayed open to reveal a room that was the same as any other room they had passed past earlier. A room with pure white walls, white-laced curtains dangling from the window and a smell of disinfectant lingered in the room._

_"Ah, Naruto. Kohane, how nice of both of you to visit me together," the woman on the bed spoke. Despite the paleness of her face and the dark rings circling her eyes, a smile still graced her features somehow still making her appear beautiful. "Okaasan!" Kohane chirped and ran to her side. Naruto chuckled. "I took the day off from work. She said she wanted to see you."_

_"Naruto," Kyoko spoke. "Don't you think it's about time you moved me to a normal ward?"_

_"Why?"_

_"It's not that I don't mind the personal space, but a solo room is quite expensive. Not to mention the treatment being done. I don't see any possible way of affording all of it."_

_"It's fine," Naruto smiled. "Let me worry about that. You just concern yourself in getting better."_

_"Naruto…"_

_A knock on the door disturbed their thoughts. A nurse peered inside the room, regarding the people gathered. "Um… Uzumaki-san," she said. "The doctor wishes to speak to you about your wife's condition." A look of worry washed over his features but he shook it off. "Kohane-chan," he said. "Take care of your mother while I'm gone." With that, he left the room._

_Kohane snuggled against her side. It might have been her imagination, but her mother was less warm than she was on her last visit. "Okaasan," she spoke. "You feel cold. Should I get another blanket?" Kyoko's eyes carried sorrow and worry. "No, Kohane," she spoke ever so softly. "Okaasan is not cold. It's just the way I am, right now." The little girl tilted her head in query. Feeling her daughter's concern, Kyoko lifted her hand and softly patted the girl on the head. "Kohane, while your father's outside, do you want me to do your hair?" The small girl smiled brightly._

_Kohane sat properly as she felt her mother brush her hair lightly, and part it in the middle._ _She gathered half of it in her hand, and brushed the long strands until it had reached a certain position at the side of her head. Taking a few ribbons from the drawer, Kyoko carefully looped it around the bundle of hair she was holding, and fastened it with a pretty knot. "Now for the other one." Kohane hummed a happy tune. She loved it when her mother did her hair._

_"Kohane," spoke Kyoko, almost faintly. "Promise me… Promise me you'll look after your father."_

_The girl once again tilted her head, wondering at the question._

_"It's just that… Your father gets lonely rather easily."_

_"Why would he be lonely? He has us."_

_"Just promise me, Kohane," she pleaded in a way Kohane had never heard before. "Just promise me you'll stay by your father's side. That you'll be strong for him and that, no matter what happens, you'll support him and be there for him."_

_Kohane regarded her mother with much worry. She could see the look of hurt and pain in her eyes. She also saw it in her father's, and this was starting to disturb her. What was going on? "I promise, okaasan," she spoke. "I promise that I'll always be with chichiue." Kyoko smiled, her eyes nearly turning moist with tears. She pulled the little girl into an embrace—tightly holding her in her arms. "Kohane, I love you. I love you and your father. The both of you are the best things that had ever happened to me. You're my treasures." Kohane smiled and hugged her mother back. "Mm! I love okaasan and chichiue too. You're my favorite persons in the entire world!"_

_A few minutes later, Naruto reentered the room looking pale and tired. He saw the mother and child in a tender embrace—a small and sad smile appearing on his lips. He approached them and softly patted his daughter's back. "Kohane-chan," he whispered. "It's time to go." She glanced at her father and nodded, taking his hand._

_"Naruto," his wife spoke. He looked at her with a face of longing and despair, and Kyoko understood. Even without words, she perfectly understood what he wanted to say. "I love you," she softly whispered. Naruto leaned down, until they could feel each other's breaths upon their lips. "I know." With that, he closed the distance between them, his lips pressed firmly and tightly on hers._

_"Kyoko," he panted as soon as the kiss ended. "I… We'll visit again tomorrow."_

_"Absolutely not!" she exclaimed. "Tomorrow's a school-day! And how many day-offs do you intend to take?"_

_Naruto chuckled. Yup, his wife is ever the iron maiden. He tugged Kohane's hand, leading the little girl out of the room, sparing a last glance at his wife._

_Some days later, Kohane remembered being accompanied to the hospital by Iruka. Once again, she passed through the white wooden door that read 303. The first sight that greeted her was her father crumpled down on the ground, face buried in his hands. Her mother was lying quietly on the bed, perfectly still._

_"Chichiue?" for some reason, her voice was shaky and breaking. Naruto had looked up at her, his eyes puffy and red indicating he was crying sheer moments ago. Kohane approached him, stretched out her small hands to softly touch her father's cheek._

_"Chichiue. Is okaasan sleeping?"_

_She remembered how her father flinched and closed his eyes in agony. Afterwards, a small and lonely smile emerged on his lips. "Yes," he said ever so faintly. "She's sleeping." He brought his arms around her and caught her in a fierce embrace. "She's sleeping…" Kohane heard her chichiue's muffled sobs._

_"She's sleeping."_


	5. Chapter 4: Dinner and Minor Incidents

Chapter 4 everyone!! Made you wait long? No? Okay, next update will be farther away! Just kidding…

**Plot Summary:** It's been a year since Sasuke and Naruto's encounter on the train, and both their lives have suddenly taken a turn for the worse. In the midst of this, the two meet again, but this time, Sasuke will NOT allow Naruto to walk away from him. Or will he? But what about their children, more importantly, Sakura?

**Pairings: **main—SasuNaru, side—KakaIru, ShikaIno, NejiHina. Also mentions SasuSaku, NaruOC, KibaNaru, others TBA

**Warnings:** Yaoi, lemon, OOC, language, possible spelling and grammar errors, the story is rated M for a reason.

**Disclaimer: **Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I am not gaining profit from this.

* * *

**REUNION OF HEARTS**

**Chapter 4: Dinner and Minor Incidents**

* * *

"Naruto…?"

Sasuke blinked, disbelieving his eyes. He _had_ expected to meet the blonde sooner or later, but not this soon! What was he doing here?

The blonde fidgeted under his gaze, clearly showing discomfort. "Uh… Hi," he squeaked. "Long time no see, Sasu—I mean, Uchiha-san." The raven scrutinized him from head to toe. In all fairness, Naruto looked rather well, although his age was beginning to show. But, nevertheless, he was still how he remembered him. He lowered his gaze and looked questioningly at the small girl hiding behind the blonde's legs. The girl peeked a glance at him and he noticed how she had bright azure eyes and beautiful sunshine hair tied up in pigtails at either side of her head. She strikingly resembled Naruto.

Naruto noticed the Uchiha's apparent interest in his little girl. "Ah, this is my daughter. She's a bit shy around strangers." "I see," came Sasuke's cool voice that almost made Naruto's heart skip a beat. "Is she Kohane? I remember you mentioning her a year ago when we met." Naruto's eyes widened for a moment. He actually remembered that detail? "Y-Yeah," he stammered. "It's her."

Sasuke knelt down so he was on the same level as the little girl. Kohane squeaked and hid herself even more behind her father's legs. "Kohane!" the blonde reprimanded. "It's fine," Sasuke cut in. "Hi there," he turned his attention to the young girl. "Kohane, right? It's very nice to meet you." Blue orbs gazed at him as she slowly emerged from her hiding place. Sasuke lifted his hand and softly patted her on the head. "What an adorable child you are," he said with a warm and gentle smile gracing his features. Kohane blushed at the contact.

A loud grunt was heard in the background. Sasuke and Naruto turned their attention to the other three children in the room. Kaname was still seated on the couch, arms crossed against his chest and a dark scowl on his face that was apparently directed at his father. Yuki and Satoshi twitched uneasily. They never liked the glaring exchanges between their father and brother. "Um…" Satoshi attempted to break the ice. "Otousan, do you and Uzumaki-san know each other." His father eased a bit and straightened up. "Yeah, you could say that," he answered. "We were _close_ acquaintances." Naruto tensed a bit at the emphasis on the word 'close'.

"Actually," the blonde interrupted. "We met in High School at our freshman year. We knew each other all the way to College. Although, I stopped mid-way…"

"Why?" Yuki asked innocently.

"There were… _some_ things that happened." This tone did not go unnoticed by Sasuke. "In any case, I'm really astounded at how you three resemble your parents. Yuki-chan (said girl blushed at the nickname) you look a lot like your mother. If only you'd grow your hair out a bit longer, you'd be a spitting image of her. Satoshi, you're like a mixture of your parents. Kaname over there is a dead ringer for your father."

Kaname flinched. "No, I'm not." Naruto chuckled. "Yup, right down to the scowl and the glare." The twins were a bit awed at the cheerfulness the young man exhibited. It was rare for anyone to treat them so… So normal… No honorifics, informal speech, it's as if their mantle as heirs to the Uchiha name didn't matter.

"Chichiue," Kohane's small voice interrupted. "The principal…"

"I'll talk to him," Sasuke said. "I know Sarutobi-san very well. In his old age, I'm surprised he hasn't gone senile. This shouldn't take long. Go wait for me outside. I think Iruka is there."

Naruto's brows rose in surprise. Since when was Sasuke so familiar with Iruka? "Well? Let's go," he said and tugged his little girl's hand. The three Uchiha's turned to follow them.

"Naruto-san is very nice," Yuki whispered to her twin. "I mean, there's something about him that I like." Satoshi nodded. "I agree. Plus, did you see the change in otousan when he saw Naruto-san? When was the last time we saw him smile like that?" "Does it matter?" the voice of their elder brother cut in. "I could care less whether that man smiles or not."

"Niisan…"

"Naruto! Kohane!!" the group turned their heads to see Iruka scrambling down the hallway. "What's going on? I thought you'd be with the principal." "Otousan's meeting with him!" the girl supplied. Iruka slumped. "I see. Well, that's to be expected from the great Uchiha Sasuke." "Iruka-sensei," Naruto's voice cut in. "Why didn't you tell me that you were in contact with Sasuke?" The man visibly flinched. "I'm with Kakashi, and you know where Kakashi stands. It'd be natural, wouldn't it?"

"What about telling me at least that my daughter was attending the same school as his children?"

"Kakashi and I thought it wasn't important."

"So this was a conspiracy? What's next? You're going to tell me he planned it?"

"Well, he _was_ the one who gave Kohane the recommendation that got her in here."

"Fine!"

Kohane shuddered a bit at her father's outburst. It was a rare sight for him to lose composure like this. The other three kids were now eagerly listening—their interest piqued by the man's sudden informality towards their father. Even Kaname was interested, mostly because someone actually had the nerve to berate the man.

"Besides," Iruka continued. "I thought you and Sasuke were through."

Naruto said nothing.

--

"Why am I here?" the blonde raised his brows as a trio of children hung from his hands.

"Because otousan rarely picks us up from school himself," Yuki chirped. "And when he does, he usually takes us out for an early supper!"

"And I am here because…?"

"It'd be fun! Right, Kohane-chan?"

The young girl surveyed her father, who apparently wanted some help out of this. But she had to admit, she was quite curious about the situation between him and the Uchiha. So, instead, she beamed him a bright smile, along side that of Yuki's and Satoshi's. Naruto twitched.

Why?

Why couldn't he resist those cute smiles?!

"Fine…" he sighed. The three jumped in triumph.

"Hey," Kaname said, ignoring the cheers and jubilation of his siblings. "You have something against otousan?" Naruto regarded him with much surprise. "What made you think so?" "Earlier," came the blunt reply. "You were all so formal and friendly around him, but later on you seemed like you wished you lived in different worlds." The blonde smiled lightly. "Very observant. Just like that teme." The boy perked in surprise at that rather odd pet name. It was a very rude way to refer to someone.

"Something happened," the blonde spoke. "It was a long time ago. You weren't even born yet. Something happened that I couldn't forgive him for."

Kaname grunted. "You and me both. I hate him for doing this to 'Kaasan. This divorce… is just stupid."

"Your siblings don't seem to mind."

"That's not true. They're just as disturbed as I am. It's just that… they admire otousan so much that they tend to hide the way they really feel."

Naruto smiled again—a soft and gentle smile. He placed his palm on the young boy's head and ruffled his raven locks. "You're a good niisan, Kaname." "Ah, quit it!" the boy scoffed, struggling against the offending hand.

"Well, isn't this a pleasant sight."

Heads turned to see Sasuke approaching them, his raven hair gleaming against the setting sun. "I'm a bit happy to see you all getting along." He trailed his eyes off to the blonde man, a lump forming in his chest making it difficult to breathe. "Naruto…" "U-Uchiha-san…" he trailed off. Sasuke raised his brows, a smirk forming on his lips. "So formal, Naruto. What happened to 'teme' or just plain 'Sasuke'?" "Don't even start," the blonde cut in. "Oh, what on earth am I even doing here?"

Sasuke regarded him with curiosity—that is until his daughter tugged his sleeve. "Otousan," the pink-haired girl spoke. "Can Naruto-san and Kohane-chan join us for supper? You always take us out when you pick us up from school." Sasuke blinked. "Well, if they agree."

"I have work to do tomorrow," Naruto reasoned.

"It's still early," said Satoshi. "Besides, it's supper, not dinner. You'll be home before bedtime."

"I… I don't know…"

"Oh, come on usuratonkochi!" Sasuke snapped. "It's a simple meal. No harm in it!"

Naruto turned beet red. "Teme… lay off the nicknames…"

"Make me… D—O—B—E…"

The four children just stared speechless and dumbfounded—astonished at the childish argument of the two grown men. "Pardon me," a voice interrupted them. "Are you going to get in the car, or will you two just argue around like a couple of two-year olds?" Kakashi waved at them from the driver's seat of a shining black Mercedes. The two regarded him, and then straightened up. "Fucking rich bastards," Naruto mumbled lowly. Sasuke smirked. "Better watch your language, dobe. We wouldn't want the children to learn such vulgar words." Naruto grumbled.

"Well?" the raven asked, opening the back door and ushering his family in. "You coming or what?"

"I don't…"

"I'll make sure you two get home safely. The restaurant's not far from here, actually. You'll like the food. I promise."

Naruto turned to see his daughter's innocent yet pleading face. With a sigh, he finally gave in. _What's the worse that could happen?_

--

Surprisingly, the car was much bigger inside than he had anticipated. Well, this was Sasuke we're talking about, so why wouldn't it be big? All six of them fit in perfectly with still some room to spare. Naruto frowned again. "Nice car," he said. It was something he couldn't afford, not in a lifetime's worth of salaries.

Sasuke chuckled lightly. "To your liking, dobe?"

"Would you stop calling me that, teme? At least in front of my child…"

"We never did it…" the raven suddenly trailed off, earning the blonde's attention.

"Did what?" he asked out of curiosity. "Dinner," came the answer. "The dinner we talked about a year ago on the train. You know, just to catch up on old times. You said it'd be nice to go out with our families."

Naruto blinked. "I said that?" He paused for a moment trying to recall the events that happened last year. Well, it was just one instance in one night of the year. And there were other more important matters that occurred, so it's not unlikely to forget a few details. "Yeah…" he drawled. "I guess I did say that. But back then, I wanted our wives to be with us."

"I know," came the simple reply. "But a lot of stuff happened. Besides, I kind of like the idea of having dinner with you."

"—And our kids!" Naruto quickly added. "Don't forget that the kids are here too."

"That's right!" Yuki stated. "You two shouldn't have a conversation like that while we're still here! It's downright rude!"

Naruto winced. _Just like Sakura._ He turned his attention to Kakashi who was very silent and concentrated on his job as the driver. "What's got you down, Kakashi?" he asked. "Nothing much," came the reply. The blonde raised his brows. "It wouldn't be because Iruka's not with us, is it?" The silver-haired man grumbled. "It's rare for Sasuke to be generous and he decides to grade papers! Honestly! He really should join us once in a while."

"You mean you have dinner with Sasuke and his family?" the blonde practically hissed, but very low so that the others wouldn't hear. "When were you planning on telling me?"

"I didn't think it was important."

"That's what Iruka said."

"Well, that's… Oh! Look, we're here!"

The car suddenly pulled up at a restaurant that somehow looked awfully familiar to Naruto. "Let's go," he heard Sasuke say, and led his family out of the car. "What do you think, dobe? The exterior's changed a bit over the years, but the interior's still pretty much the same." Naruto was dumbfounded. Had he been here before? "This is where you guys eat whenever you pick them up?" he asked. The raven nodded.

Upon entering the restaurant, Naruto was surprised that everything looked… normal. He was expecting to see a fancy five-star setting with fine dining atmosphere. Instead, he saw a casual setting of dark wooden tables covered with white linen and checkered napkins, wooden chairs to match the tables, and some decors of potted plants and slightly dimmed lights. The ambience of the place was very homey—really like a family restaurant. "Sasuke, are you sure we're in the right place?" The Uchiha frowned. "What makes you say that?"

How could Naruto put it? "It doesn't look like one of those fine-dining things."

"Fine dining?" Sasuke scoffed. "That's too expensive. Especially, when you know your kids are bound to break something. Besides, this place is very special."

Naruto looked at him, puzzled at the meaning of his words. A waiter soon approached them, and ushered them to a vacant table. Seated down with menus at hand, the blonde skimmed through and was even more surprised to see the contents. 'Yup, this was far from fine-dining—that is, if you call roast chicken, spaghetti, a side of mashed potatoes and cold peas and carrots, and some buttered toast as fine dining. But somehow, everything seemed so familiar to Naruto.

"Will it be the usual, Uchiha-sama?" asked the waiter.

"No, give us the special," Sasuke replied. "And the kids' meal. Ah, Naruto, would Kohane rather have Japanese or Western?"

"Western's fine," he said. "She's practically used to it, anyway."

After that, the waiter left and, minutes later, returned with a tray of food.

--

Naruto bit into his piece of chicken, squealing at the scrumptious texture. "You look idiotically happy," Sasuke said. "It's just chicken. No need to get excited." The blonde flicked his hand. "Yeah, but it tastes good. I can catch a taste of basil, garlic and… is it ginger? Probably the marinade."

"You can tell?" asked an astonished Uchiha.

Naruto grinned. "Apparently. Hm. The recipe's simple enough. I can do this too."

"You cook?"

"Yeah. Let's just say my wife was never a fan of instant ramen. Practically whipped me until I could make something other than ramen. How about you? Sakura cooks, right? Must be nice."

"Not really. We have chefs. They cook for us."

The blonde frowned. "Where's the love in that?" "There isn't," came Kaname's voice. "Okaasan stopped cooking for us since otousan told her to get out of the house." An awkward silence reigned over the table. It was so thick that they could hear the clanking of utensils from all over the room and decipher from which table it comes from. "Uh, Kaname," Kakashi spoke. "Let's not talk about that, okay?" The boy grunted and turned his face away. The twins looked at him anxiously, but still tried to keep a cheerful front, while Kohane regarded him with curiosity and concern.

"Right," the elder man spoke again. "Sasuke, we still need to go over those documents, plus figure out what positions we are to give those we're moving to the main office."

"It still depends on their level of expertise. Speaking of which, Naruto, what are you good in?"

Naruto blinked. "Whatever you give me," he answered honestly. "I started out as an errand boy before reaching respectable spot in Godaime Advertising."

"What did you handle?"

"Well, I was in productions. But I can also handle clientele relations. You know, meet with the clients, strike a deal, present ideas and get feedback."

"How do you fare with office work?"

"Oh, I'm good at that. I was also an assistant at one point, or secretary—whatever you call it."

"What about workload? How much can you handle?"

"As many as you can give. I can handle overtime easily, so long as it shows in my pay."

"About that… How much do you want?"

"Eh? Well…" At this point, Naruto was getting a bit uncomfortable. If he didn't know any better, this was beginning to be a job interview. "As long as the price is reasonable, I'm fine with it. Although, I could really use the money since the bills are piling up." Sasuke and Kakashi exchanged glances before nodding their heads. "That's quite good," spoke the elder of the two. "He'll do perfectly, won't he Sasuke?"

"Yes, perfectly well—wait… For what?"

"For your new secretary, of course!"

"WHAT?!" Both men yelled in unison, practically leaping out of their seats. The children (and nearly half of the restaurant) looked at their fathers in curiosity. "Why not?" the elder man persisted. "You said that you are in dire need of another assistant, and Naruto looks to be more than qualified."

"That's not the point," the raven said.

"What point? The sooner you get a secretary the better! Ino can't handle it all on her own especially when she's in such delicate condition!"

"Ino?" the blonde looked questioningly. "Ino, as in _Yamanaka_ Ino? One of our high school classmates? The co-president of your wonderful fan club? _She's_ your secretary?"

"Don't look so astonished, dobe," said Sasuke, finally noticing the stares and settling back on his chair. "Yeah, it's the same Ino. But she's not Yamanaka anymore. You should call her Nara Ino."

"Nara?!" another shriek that made Sasuke's eardrums roll. "Nara, as in Nara Shikamaru, right? The 'troublesome' guy… The one always napping and staring off into the clouds…"

"Yes, _him_!" the Uchiha practically snapped. "Do you have to make an assessment every time a familiar name is brought up? And would you stop shrieking? It's hurting my ears."

"They got hitched," Naruto huffed, sitting back on his chair. "I mean, that's unbelievable! Shikamaru and Ino? Well, they're good friends, I know that. The two of them, along with Chouji, were practically inseparable. But they're complete opposites! I mean, Ino's like head cheerleader—the fashionista, and Shikamaru's just… well… Shikamaru. How did that happen? I was sure it'd be Shikamaru and Temari-senpai."

"Temari?"

"Oh, you remember teme. She was a senior when we were in our freshman year. She was really a stubborn and headstrong woman. Full of strength, I tell you… She seemed like the right type who could whip Shikamaru into good shape."

"Ah, senpai," Sasuke said in realization. "Yeah, I think I remember her now. She was also in my fan club." Naruto winced. The guy would remember that?! Of all things?! Damn his narcissism. "But only for a little while," the raven continued. "I don't really know why she left. Anyway, it's true that she and Shikamaru dated for quite a while, until they decided to call it quits."

"Call it quits? Just like that?"

"I'm not into the details, even though Shikamaru was already working for me at the time. After they broke up, he got together with Ino. They've been married for a year and a half now. But what does it matter now? Whether it's Ino or Temari, he still saddled himself up with a woman that can twist him around her finger."

"True. They're both troublesome in Shikamaru's book. But…" Naruto backtracked the earlier conversation. "Wait, Kakashi said 'delicate condition'. She's not… is she…?"

"Yes, she is."

"That's awesome!" Naruto exclaimed, while reaching for the small bottle of sauce—unknowingly at the same time as Sasuke did. Their fingers brushed against one another; a jolt of electricity spurting through his bones. Naruto quickly retracted his hand, shielding it as if the contact was scalding him. "It—It's great to have kids. Really it is…" he attempted to continue the conversation. But the pink blush creeping up his cheeks did not go unnoticed by the Uchiha.

For the rest of the meal, Naruto averted his eyes away from Sasuke—keeping his focus on anything but the man. But Sasuke's attention seemed fixated on him only. His coal black eyes were practically burning holes right through his head. The room suddenly felt stuffy, almost suffocating him. Yet, the ambience was all too familiar. Where had he seen it before? Had he ever been here before?

Something from the back of his memory…

His eyes kept roaming the place, turning every now and then trying to take the entire surrounding in. His eyes somehow found its way back to Sasuke's eyes, and the moment they made eye contact, Naruto could've sworn he saw hundreds of different emotions explode. And then realization hit him.

This place… This restaurant was…

He quickly rose from his seat, excusing himself saying he needed to go to the washroom. As he did so, his steps increased in pace, his face turning beet red. This was a reflex he knew he had no control over, which is why he needed to get away. He entered the men's room, thankful that it was empty, and made a dash for the sink.

He turned the faucet on and quickly splashed some of the cold liquid on his face. _Shit_, he mentally cursed. _What the hell is wrong with me? Getting all worked up like this…?_ He resumed to splattering himself with water, not even realizing for a moment that the door swung open and closed, a figure looming over him.

"Done trying to drown yourself, dobe?"

The cool and suave voice pierced through his thoughts. He turned his face, still trickled with droplets of water, and saw the very raven plaguing his mind standing before him. "Sasuke… What're you doing here?"

"Well, that's a question," he scoffed. "I just wanted to wash my hands. But I didn't expect to see you trying to mimic a waterfall." He approached the blonde, stretching his hand out to lightly touch the wet golden bangs, feeling it dampen his fingers. "You…" he whispered softly. "What are you trying to do?" Sasuke ceased playing with the man's bangs and pressed his hand against the soft tanned cheek. "You're hot," he said.

For a moment, Naruto flinched. What was Sasuke trying to imply?!

"You feel hot, dobe. Is that why you were splashing yourself with water?"

Oh, that's what he meant. He shook his head and silently observed Sasuke pull out a pure white handkerchief from his pocket. He rubbed it gently across the blonde's face, carefully drying him off. "If you don't dry off properly, you could catch a cold." Sasuke's voice was low and faint, like a whisper. He could actually feel the hot breath on his nose.

"There. All done." The moment Sasuke ceased his actions, Naruto immediately lowered his gaze, trying to hide the blush emerging once again on his whiskered cheeks. "Th—Thanks," he stuttered and tried to make a dash for the door. Unfortunately, he slipped on the now wet tiles (courtesy of him splashing water earlier) causing him to lose his footing and grab on to the nearest object to regain his balance. That proved useless since the object came crashing down with him, landing hard on top of him.

Something firm and soft pressed against his lips…

His lips…

Lips!!

Naruto's eyes widened in great amazement as he stared up at equally stunned coal-black eyes. Sasuke was on top of him—kissing him. _Kissing_ him!! An accident, though, just like what happened in High School… But this was different!

Naruto's mind went into a panic. What should he do? Neither of them had moved since the contact began—not pulling away nor deepening the kiss. They just lay there, the blonde's back against the cool tiles while the raven's warm body hovered above him. Maybe he should push him away… That's right! Push him away! Separate! After all, this was a very compromising position. What happens if someone walks in and misunderstands? Too much scandal!

Before Naruto could act out his thoughts, Sasuke had already taken the initiative, relaxing himself against the tensed blonde. He slowly closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss. Naruto gasped at the action, but that only caused the Uchiha to push his tongue into the blonde's mouth. The moment Naruto's mind registered the presence of a foreign tongue in his mouth, his hands immediately flailed up, trying to get the raven off him. It was a weak attempt.

Sasuke caught his wrists and pinned them above his head. The kiss deepened; he nibbled on the blonde's lower lip and sucked on the red organ, drawing out a small moan from the man. At that point, Naruto lost control and succumbed to the kiss, closing his eyes and allowing Sasuke to take dominance.

They tilted their heads for better passage, their bodies rubbing furiously against one another. "S—Sasuke," Naruto huffed as the raven left his mouth, trailing his tongue down the blonde's jawline and settling down on his neck. He kissed and nibbled at the heated skin as if it was the greatest treat in the world. "Naruto," the raven breathed against his flesh, causing him to wriggle in anticipation. He soon felt even hotter hands slowly lifting his shirt and exploring the skin underneath.

"Mmm…." Naruto moaned, suddenly bucking his hips against Sasuke's. The raven hissed, feeling something bulge in between his legs. He pressed their groins together, making sure that Naruto felt it. And felt it, he did. Naruto gasped at the friction caused by the clothed member. His own was beginning to grow in his pants. "Naruto," Sasuke moaned again, grabbing the blonde's hips and lifting him up so that their erections met.

Before he knew it, Naruto was backed up against the wall of an open stall, rubbing and thrusting into each other's hips. How they got there, he didn't know, but he did know how much torture their pants were giving them. Naruto wanted more than anything to get rid of them so that their members could meet, touch and feel true pleasure. He opened his eyes slightly and peered over Sasuke's shoulder. He saw his reflection, and he saw… saw something…

What's that on his hand…?

A shining gold metal wrapped around his left ring finger…

A cold realization hit Naruto as he was knocked out of his lust and his stupor. With all of his might, he pushed the raven away, setting a distance between them while yelling a resounding "No!!" Sasuke hit the opposite wall with surprise and astonishment written on his face. "What…" he panted, and was met with a stern gleam yet apologetic look from the blonde's eyes.

"I'm sorry," he spoke softly. "I'm sorry, Sasuke. I can't… I can't… I just…"

Sorrow and anxiety displayed itself on Sasuke's face, but he nodded his head. "I should apologize too. I was the one who initiated the act. I'm sorry…" "We… We should go," spoke Naruto. "They're probably wondering why we're taking so long."

"True," came the answer. "But, you know, we can't just go back with… _these_." He pointed so obviously to their erections straining for freedom from the constricting fabric. Naruto turned different shades of red, even more so when he saw Sasuke's rather huge bulge.

_Think uninteresting thoughts. Think uninteresting thoughts._

Naruto repeated that in his head, but it was hard to follow when the man's proud hard-on was showing! Sasuke also noticed the apparent dilemma the blonde was in. "You know," he said. "I—_We_ could help each other out."

--

"What were you two doing back there?" asked a very curious Kakashi. Naruto blushed at the man's grin, while Sasuke acted nonchalantly. "Nothing," came the raven's response. Kakashi raised his brows. "Really? You guys took so long that I almost thought you were having sex."

He soon found himself with a tray, a plate and several other utensils embedded on to his face.

"Something wrong, chichiue?" asked Kohane. Naruto waved his hand. "Nothing. Nothing, Kohane-chan. Ah, look at the time! We should get going now!" "That goes for us too," Sasuke said. "Kaname, Satoshi, Yuki, we're going home."

"Eh? We can go home with you otousan?" asked Yuki. A nod of his head answered her question. "Yay! Finally! It totally sucks to live with Kakashi-san. How can Iruka-sensei stand him?"

With their meals devoured and their bill paid, they exited the restaurant and entered the car, Kakashi holding out the door for them. The twins were happy, jubilant that they were finally going home with their father. Kaname was silent, a frown marring his features.

"We could drop you off, you know," Sasuke offered.

"No," the blonde responded. "It's fine. We can take a cab."

"You prefer a cab over my generous offer? Seriously, Naruto, it's no problem."

"It's fine," Naruto insisted. That incident in the washroom earlier was awkward enough. He didn't know if he could handle being in the same confining spaces as the Uchiha again—_with_ or _without_ the children. Taking Kohane's hand, he smiled brightly at the raven and said, "Really, it's fine."

Sasuke sighed in defeat. "All right. But I really want you to consider the secretary job. Please think about it. It'd save a great heap of trouble if you agreed."

"I know," was the last word said before Sasuke entered the car, Kakashi closing the door after him. The silver-haired man mouthed a "see you later" to Naruto and then sunk into the driver's seat.

Naruto lingered for a few moments, watching the car drive off, before hailing a cab for himself and Kohane. The little girl knew something troubled her father but chose to remain silent. Her father was tired.

Tired.

Yes, he was tired from the many thoughts and emotions swirling inside him.

_That restaurant_, he said to himself. _That's where Sasuke and I had our first real date._

* * *

**To be continued…**

* * *

How is it? Are things starting to get exciting? Or is still dragging out? I swear, these days I am out of inspiration, and I so want to write some SasuNaru smut! But I can't, it's too soon. Must make a decent plot… Argh!!

Oh, yeah. I made a SasuNaru fanvid featuring the song _Insatiable_ by Darren Hayes. It's my first one so feedback is much appreciated. Visit my profile to get the link. But be warned, some images may contain heavy boy-on-boy action, so view on your own discretion.

Well, that's all. See you guys next update!

Next chapter: Naruto's first day on the job. He meets familiar faces. More awkward moments with the boss? Will Sakura make an appearance?

--

_**OMAKE!**_

Sasuke drummed his fingers on the wooden table. He looked impatiently at his wristwatch; a frown marring his features. _What's taking him so long?_ It was already five-thirty. They were supposed to meet at five o'clock. _That damn dobe better have a good excuse for being late._

At that moment, the doorbell chimed and in stepped a flustered blonde, heavily panting and sweat slicking his brow. Naruto glanced around the empty café and saw the Uchiha seated at the far corner. "You're late," the raven droned out. "_Thirty_ minutes late to be exact." Naruto scratched his head sheepishly.

"Honestly, dobe! What's the point of even having that watch if you're not going to use it?"

"I am using it!" the blonde retorted. "It's just… I was supposed to be on time, but Ebisu-sensei caught me and… well, the conversation just kept dragging on. I ran all the way here."

True, the blonde was out of breath. He really did hurry all the way here. At the thought of this, relief flowed into Sasuke's mind, but he didn't show it. "All right," he said. "I believe you. Now, sit down and order something."

"Right."

Sasuke waited after his boyfriend was comfortable in his seat and had drunken down his iced coffee, quenching his thirst. "That's good!" Naruto huffed. "It really tastes great!"

"Hn. So tell me why Ebisu-sensei talked to you."

"……"

"It's about your grades, isn't it?"

"Well I can't help it if I'm not an honor student like you, teme."

"Honestly, dobe. I already told you what to study, right? Even though we're in different classes, the coverage is still the same."

"Sorry for being such a dobe."

"So you admit it."

"I said I was sorry!" Naruto sipped violently on the straw, showing his irritation. Sasuke sighed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. It's just… We're seniors. We're supposed to be concentrating on exams and such—we barely even have time to spend together."

"I know," the blonde said. "It's hard enough avoiding your fan club."

An apparent attraction had sparked between the two when they first met in their freshman year. But at the time, it was anything but romantic. It was more like a one-sided rivalry on Naruto's part, and a subject of amusement for Sasuke. Later on, that attraction turned to feelings of mutual love, although neither was at first inclined to admit it. It had only been a couple of months ago that the two boys have finally come into terms with their feelings and decided to start dating.

But even then, things didn't turn out to be so easy. There was Sasuke's reputation to protect. He was extremely popular in and out of school. His own fan club was composed of half the population in school (the female half) and more so in the entire district. He was an honor student, excellent in sports and known to be a cool guy. Plus there was the fact that he came from the Uchiha family, the most successful business entrepreneurs known in the entire country! The mere notion of him being gay _and _in a relationship with a man could bring all that down. That's why they had to keep it a secret.

They continued everyday life in school as normal as possible, except for sparing fifteen minutes of lunchtime in the gym storage room for a make-out session. Even when they were outside, they had to restrain themselves. They couldn't walk hand in hand in the streets. Even the very café they frequent wasn't very popular among students and people in their age group.

The only times they can be alone is in Naruto's apartment. There, they can hug, kiss and cuddle. But the sex was still held back in fear of disturbing the neighbors, but the Uchiha could really care less if they were disturbed.

But now that they were graduating, things were hectic. It was always study, study, study. They didn't have time for each other anymore.

"Come to think of it," the raven voiced his thoughts. "We never really went on a real date."

"What do you mean?" Naruto regarded him curiously. "We're on a date now, aren't we? And what about those times we were in my apartment? And the movies?"

"Those don't count. It seems just like an outing, you know, an everyday occurrence between guys. What I mean is that we've never really gone out, as in an entire evening out having dinner in some restaurant, a midnight stroll around the park while holding hands, make-out in some dark alley then sex back in the bedroom."

Naruto sweat-dropped. _True we never ate in a restaurant or strolled around the park hand in hand, but we've more than made-out in some dark alley, and we have plenty of sex in the bedroom._

"Is it true your applying for Tokyo University?" he attempted to change the conversation. "That's pretty bold of you, teme. But, knowing you, you'd make it hands down. I on the other hand…"

"What university will you go to, Naruto?"

"Haven't decided yet. Tokyo U. is a distant dream for me. Especially with my grades…"

"Then you'll have to study harder. Besides, it's not like it's decided I'll be going to Tokyo University at all. My chances of going there depend on the results of the mock exam."

"Oh…"

"Naruto," a certain seriousness plagued the Uchiha's voice. "I was thinking… once I get into college, I'm going to live in an apartment."

"Apartment? Why?"

"Well, it's going to be a distance from my house, and I don't want all that commute. I thought of renting one and… will you… live with me?"

Naruto blinked. If it was a normal conversation between guys, it could be assumed as rooming with each other. But the way Sasuke said it suggested a great amount of intimacy. If Naruto knew any better, he'd say it was going to be a one-bedroom apartment.

"Well?" the raven spoke impatiently.

"Uh… Sure," Naruto answered without really thinking. But it made Sasuke sigh in relief and lean back on his chair. "I'm glad," he said. "Oh, and Naruto, when the exams are over, let's have a real date."

"A real date?"

"Yes, a real date. One you'll never forget for as long as you live."


	6. Reality is better than Fiction

Greetings to all the readers!

I humbly apologize to those who were expecting an update or a new chapter. I'm sorry to say, just as the description says, I have chosen to discontinue _Reunion __of __Hearts_. I have not touched this fanfic for years and I don't think I'll be getting back to this anytime soon. In a few months, I'll also be deleting this story from . Why? Well, if you haven't read my LJ, I have recently gone into publishing. A friend of mine offered me to become one of her writers as she ventures into publishing. That and because of work, I am now semi-retired from fanfiction. Some of the stories I might return to like the OTRFK ones, and others, specifically this one, I will not.

But don't fret. Because along with bad news comes good news. My friend, now publisher, is also a fan of my stories as she had first read my work here on . She particularly loved **Simple ****Encounter**and **Reunion ****of ****Hearts**. And because of that, we have decided that my first project with her will be based from those two fics.

Yes, that's right! RoH may have started as a fanfic, but the story continues into an original piece, which is soon to be published. The concept is basically the same, with a little tweaks here and there, and definitely the story will continue from where I have stopped.

Do please check out my LJ for more info and updates regarding this. Just visit my profile for the links! :)


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